Google Calendar Now Available on Apple Watch
▼ Summary
– The author is a senior tech reporter with extensive experience covering gadgets since 2006 and a lifelong passion for electronics.
– Apple’s native calendar app on watchOS offers customization like week summaries and full-month views, while Google Calendar only displays a week’s events with basic details.
– Google Calendar’s Apple Watch app provides limited event details, prompting users to open the phone app for more information, similar to its Wear OS functionality.
– The app includes two home screen complications: one showing today’s date and day, and another displaying the next appointment, both tappable to open the app.
– While Google Calendar may appeal to users wanting Google integration on Apple Watch, the native calendar app syncs with Google Calendar and offers more detailed event views.
Google Calendar has officially arrived on Apple Watch, giving users another way to manage their schedules directly from their wrist. While Apple’s built-in calendar app already supports Google Calendar syncing, the dedicated Google Calendar app offers a streamlined experience tailored for those deeply embedded in Google’s ecosystem.
The app displays a week’s worth of events, complete with times and locations, alongside Google Tasks in a simple list format. A small but handy detail, the day of the week appears in the corner as you scroll. Tapping an event reveals basic details, though users looking for deeper information will need to open the full app on their iPhone. This mirrors the functionality found on Wear OS devices, keeping the experience consistent across platforms.
Two home screen complications add convenience. The first, Today’s date, shows the abbreviated day and date in a circular format. The second, What’s next, appears as a circle, rectangle, or Smart Stack widget, displaying upcoming appointments. Both shortcuts open the Google Calendar app with a single tap.
For those who prefer keeping their Apple Watch tightly integrated with Google services, this addition is a welcome one. However, since Apple’s native calendar already syncs with Google Calendar and provides more detailed event views, the new app may appeal mostly to users who prioritize Google’s interface. Currently, Google Keep, Maps, and YouTube Music remain the only other official Google apps available on watchOS.
(Source: The Verge)
