Updated 15 March 2022: Fossil today announced in a press release that the Alexa integration is finally here for the Gen 6 smartwatch, and provided some additional information.
Fossil Group is thrilled to announce that Gen 6 Smartwatch users officially have access to the Amazon Alexa for Smartwatches app. Available exclusively on Fossil Group Gen 6 devices, Alexa is preloaded and available to pair with phones running the latest version of Android (excluding Go edition and phones without Google Play Store) in supported countries.
Once connected, users will have options for accessing Alexa on their watch screen: including both the Alexa Tile and the Alexa App. Tiles are quickly accessed with a swipe left from the watch face. Consumers can also access Alexa via a third option by configuring the pushers, enabling a single button press to trigger and launch the Alexa app. (via 9to5Google)
Skagen announced its Falster Gen 6 smartwatch earlier this year, and it brought a unique partnership between Fossil and Amazon. The two companies announced that they would bring Alexa to a select few Wear OS smartwatches, and it appears that the support is finally here. Skagen Falster Gen 6 and Fossil Gen 6 users can already take advantage of Amazon Alexa on their smartwatches.
Skagen is a subsidiary of Fossil, and the companies announced a partnership with Amazon to bring Alexa to more Wear OS smartwatches. Until now, the web page simply said “coming soon”, and there was no timeline on when users might be able to take advantage of using Alexa on their smartwatches.
9to5Google says that a quiet update to the Alexa app on the Fossil Gen 6, and Skagen Gen 6 smartwatches enabled the new Alexa voice assistant on Wear OS. Users who wish to use Alexa instead of Google assistant can head into the Alexa app and provide permissions to enable the microphone and other permissions. Once the smartwatch is linked in the Alexa app on the phone, you can head to:
- Devices
- Add Device
- Pick Smartwatch
Once the pair is complete, Alexa will work flawlessly on both the Fossil and Skagen Wear OS smartwatches, claims 9to5Google. The applications will recommend that users set a shortcut button to launch the voice assistant since the always-listening Google Assistant could introduce some issues. The main downside of using Alexa instead of Google Assistant is that it won’t offer verbal feedback to commands; instead, it will display results on the screen.
It’s unclear how or when this feature will roll out more widely to users, but some already report that it’s available. For now, it appears to be only working on Fossil Gen 6 and Skagen Falster Gen 6 smartwatches, but it may soon roll out to older smartwatches.
Fossil Gen 6
The Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch comes with Wear OS and a Qualcomm 4100+ chipset. The watch can track activity goals, SPO2, sleep, and many more. It has a 3ATM waterproof design, and it has a fast charge feature to keep you on the go.