Samsung Galaxy Watch Users May Be Able to Control Supported TVs With Air Gestures: Report

Samsung is developing new functionality for the Galaxy Watch which may let users carry out several actions on supported TVs using air gestures, according to a report. The feature, dubbed Pointer Mode, was spotted during an APK teardown of the SmartThings app for Wear OS. Although it is still under development, the Pointer Mode on the Galaxy Watch is reported to work along the same lines as the cross-functionality between the Apple Watch and the Apple Vision Pro.

Pointer Mode on Galaxy Watch

Android Authority detailed the purported Pointer Mode for the Galaxy Watch in a report. The publication highlights that it was discovered following an APK teardown of the SmartThings app for Wear OS version 1.3.12.9. Its code is said to have several references for a functionality that may allow Galaxy Watch users to control TVs although not all apps would support it. The feature is speculated to be exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy smartwatches.

Code strings suggest users may be able to activate the Pointer Mode by shaking the hand on which the Galaxy Watch is worn. However, it will require disabling Universal Gesture — an accessibility option which lets Galaxy Watch users control the device without touching the screen. Once deactivated, the shake gesture invokes the Pointer Mode.

The feature is reported to support actions such as pinching to select, making a fist to go back to the previous screen, making a fist twice to go to the home screen, and moving wrists back and forth to play/pause. Further, users may be able to scroll up and down on the TV by rotating the bezels of the Galaxy Watch, while moving the wrist would allow them to control the cursor movement.

However, the feature is not yet active. While code references suggest its development may be underway, not all features discovered in an APK teardown make it to the release stage in a future stable version of the app.