I finally paired my Galaxy Watch with a Samsung phone and realized what I was missing

I finally paired my Galaxy Watch with a Samsung phone and realized what I was missing Credit: Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek By  Joe Fedewa Published May 30, 2026, 1:45 PM EDT Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and food blogger . He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews. Before joining How-To Geek , Joe worked at XDA-Developers as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast. From smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He's been hooked ever since. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Add Us On Jump links Jump Links Modes and Routines Several health features Suggested replies Kids mode follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap I live with the strange dichotomy of liking Samsung Galaxy Watches but not Galaxy phones. So, for years, I’ve used a Galaxy Watch with a Pixel phone. Recently, I decided to give a Samsung phone a chance, and it immediately unlocked some extra watch features. For those who don’t know, Samsung keeps a few Galaxy Watch features exclusive to those who use Galaxy phones. The list has gotten smaller over time , but there are still some pretty big things you miss out on by using a phone from a dif