Samsung has a hand washing timer and reminder watch app, too

We wrote previously about Fitbit’s clock face for washing hands as well as Apple’s and Google’s solution. Now its time to cover Samsung’s hand washing timer and reminder app!

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

COVID-19 is a problem worldwide and we are all meant to wash our hands frequently. This is especially the case if we’ve been out and about. The recommendation comes from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centre for Disease Control and Protection. Soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub is one of the most effective ways to kill viruses on your hands as long as you do it for 20 seconds, preferably more.

To make the job a bit easier Samsung has released an app called Hand Wash. First spotted by SamMobile, the software was developed in just two weeks at Samsung’s Research Institute-Bangalore in India. Apparently this was achieved in the super-quick time, despite workers doing everything remotely.

The app is for the Galaxy Watch as well as both iterations of Watch Active. It reminds users to wash their hands periodically throughout the day and has a 20 second counter, as per the recommendations. You do have an extra 5 seconds at the beginning to let you turn on the faucet and apply the soap. When the time is up the watch will vibrate.

The reminders are customisable and the app will nag you if you’ve failed to wash your hands. You do also have the option to skip a wash.

What’s more, the app keeps count how many times during the day and week you’ve washed your hands. Not for bragging rights but in order to help you build healthier habits. It also has its own watch face which shows the time elapsed since the last wash.

Unlike the Google Wear OS solution, the app does not install automatically. Instead, you’ll need to head over to the Galaxy Store and download and install the software free of charge. Now you have no excuses for bad hygiene habits. Nice one Samsung!

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