Verizon prematurely teased Google Assistant support in new Galaxy Watch 4 update

Update 4/20/2022 (6:15 PM ET): Google Assistant has not arrived on the Galaxy Watch 4 yet.

What you need to know

• An update for the Galaxy Watch 4 on Verizon is beginning to roll out. 
• This update appears to bring Google Assistant support to the Galaxy Watch 4, along with other features. 
• Notably, this update does not seem to be available yet on other Galaxy Watch 4 carrier models. 

One of the big promises when Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch 4 last year was that we would be getting proper Google Assistant support. This is due to the fact that Samsung moved away from TizenOS on its wearables in favor of Wear OS 3, which was announced at I/O 2021. Until now, Samsung had yet to actually bring Assistant support to its latest smartwatch, but that seems to finally be changing. 

As spotted by Droid Life, a new update is rolling out to the Verizon variant of the Galaxy Watch 4, carrying with it a build number of R885USQU1FVC8. According to the changelog on Verizon's website, this update includes a few new features, including the ability to backup and restore one of the best smartwatches with Samsung Smart Switch. There's also a new button included when measuring your body composition. 

But the most notable (and exciting) feature addition is the inclusion of Google Assistant. The changelog states, "If you have Google Assistant downloaded, it will show up in the settings menu under 'Google Accounts'." Verizon also provided a few screenshots of how you can access Assistant, as it will be found under Settings > Google > Assistant. Then, there's a toggle for "Hey Google" activation, along with Speech Output.

What's curious about this update is that it doesn't seem to be available on non-Verizon Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 classic models. A few of us here in the office have checked for an update to see if this feature is available, but it's not appeared on any of our Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic models yet. Also, Google Assistant doesn't yet appear to be available to download just yet, although this new update may be required. We've reached out to Samsung and Google for comments and will provide an update once one is made available.

When Samsung and Google announced that Google Assistant would arrive on the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the companies provided us with a look at the new UI, which would match the experience found on smartphones.

Google says that along with the updated UI, Google Assistant on the Galaxy Watch 4 will also provide faster responses. We also expect this new UI to arrive on other Wear OS 3 smartwatches later this year, particularly the rumored Pixel Watch.

Update

Following all the commotion about the Galaxy Watch 4 possibly receiving Google Assistant support, Samsung responded to our inquiry by saying there's "nothing to share on this" at the moment. Verizon has also removed mention of Google Assistant from its update support page, indicating that its inclusion was likely an accident.

However, it appears the update is still rolling out with the other features mentioned, including the new Backup and Restore via Smart Switch and the additional "Measure" button for Samsung Health.

With any luck, Google Assistant may not be far off from actually arriving on the Galaxy Watch 4.