Samsung releases WearOS version of its hand washing reminder app

We wrote previously about Samsung’s hand washing timer and reminder app. Now there’s a WearOS version of the same for Galaxy Watch 4.

COVID-19 continues to be 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.

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To make the job a bit easier Samsung has released an app called Hand Wash in April last year. 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 was for Galaxy Watch 3 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. Finally, it also has its own watch face which shows the time elapsed since the last wash.

Hand wash app is now available for Galaxy Watch 4

Now Samsung has released a WearOS 3.0 version of the app that works on Galaxy Watch 4 and its Classic variant. The software functions pretty much the same as last year’s Tizen version. Early reviews are that it does the job well although it can cause a battery drain so have that in mind before installing.

The app will not find its way to your watch automatically. But you can download it from the Google Play Store free of charge. The download is around 18mb in size. If you switched over to Galaxy Watch 4, now you have no more excuses for bad hygiene habits!

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