C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- WristWeb is a new web browser for Wear OS.
- The browser allows the user to enter a URL with voice input.
- Web pages are automatically adjusted to fit the smartwatch display.
While a smartwatch certainly would not be the first device anyone would choose for surfing the web, it can come in handy in a pinch. For example, if you need to look something up and you’re not next to your phone or computer. Knowing that most people don’t use their smartwatch this way, it shouldn’t be a surprise there aren’t many options out there for a Wear OS browser. However, a new one has popped up and it works better than you would expect.
On Reddit, developer Ángel Gabaldón announced the launch of their new web browser for Wear OS called WristWeb. This new app boasts a few nice features such as:
- Voice input for entering URLs
- Automatically adjusted web pages
- Custom search engine, home page, and more
- Send a page to your phone (coming soon)
You can swipe up to reveal a menu ring around the edges of the screen. This menu has options for setting favorites, reloading pages, opening settings, going back/forward, jumping to the top of the page, and going back to the home screen. Additionally, you can use a pinching gesture to zoom in and out if you choose.
Our own Rita El Khoury downloaded the app on her device and thought it worked pretty well in general. Of course, it’s not a perfect experience. It appears that the app is not compatible with the Pixel Watch 3’s crown, so it can’t be used for scrolling. Also, you can’t swipe from the left side to go back to a previous page; you’ll need to bring up the menu and tap on the back arrow to perform that action.
Although there are already browsers that support the form factor, the experience can leave much to be desired. As you can imagine, WristWeb isn’t going to outmatch the experience you have on your phone or computer, but it is one of the better smartwatch browser options we’ve tried. WristWeb can be downloaded now for free on the Google Play Store.
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