Setting up Watch Walks on Wear OS

For Samsung Galaxy Watch, Google Pixel Watch, Mobvoi TicWatch, OnePlus Watch and other Wear OS watches

On Wear OS, Watch Walks runs right on your watch. There's no pairing dance and nothing to leave running. The Inca Trail is free, and every other trail is a one-time purchase. Setup takes a couple of minutes.

What you'll need

• A watch running Wear OS 3 or newer (most Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and later, Pixel Watch, recent TicWatch and OnePlus Watch models).
• The watch signed in to your Google account, on Wi-Fi or with its phone nearby for data.

Step 1 · Open the Play Store on the watch

1. On the watch, press the crown/button to open the app list and tap the Play Store.
2. If prompted, confirm it's signed in to the same Google account you use on your phone.

Tip: you can also open the Play Store on your phone, search Watch Walks, and use the device selector to send it to the watch. Installing from the watch's own Play Store is the simplest path.

Step 2 · Install Watch Walks

1. Search for Watch Walks on the watch's Play Store.
2. Tap Install. It downloads straight to the watch.

Not there yet? That is us, not you. The watch app went to Google on 26 July and is in review, so it will not turn up in a watch search until it clears. The store page says where it is up to. In the meantime the free phone app is out now and counts your steps on its own, so your trail keeps moving either way.

Step 3 · Open it and allow two permissions

1. Launch Watch Walks from the watch's app list.
2. Allow Physical activity, which is what lets the watch count your steps and carry you down the trail.
3. Allow Notifications, so a small celebration lands on your wrist the moment you reach a landmark.
4. That's it. It's standalone: no phone pairing, no account, nothing to set up.

Step 4 · Add the Tile for a glance

1. From the watch face, swipe across to the Tiles carousel and tap to add a tile.
2. Choose the Watch Walks tile to see how far you have walked and what is next, without opening the app.

Step 5 · (Optional) Add the phone companion

The free companion app gives you the big-screen view: your journey on a living map, the story of each landmark, and your wall of trail medals.

How walking works on Wear OS

Just live your life. The watch counts your everyday steps even while the app is closed, and they move you along the trail. Open the app whenever you like to see how far you've come, tap a landmark you've passed to read its story, and watch the celebration when you reach a new one. No GPS, no tracking a workout, no battery drain from a live activity.

Choosing and getting more trails

Open Choose a trail in the app to see your trails. Only one trail is active at a time: the one your steps are counting toward. The Inca Trail is free; every other trail is a one-time in-app purchase, yours to keep. A trail you buy is tied to your Google account, so it's there on every device signed in with it.

Troubleshooting

• My steps aren't moving the trail. Open the app, go to system Settings → Apps → Watch Walks → Permissions, and make sure Physical activity is allowed.
• I didn't get a milestone celebration. Check that Notifications are allowed for Watch Walks.
• The watch Play Store can't find it. Confirm the watch is on Wear OS 3+ and signed in to your Google account; give it a minute after the watch comes online.
• "Not compatible" on my phone. That message means a build was offered to the wrong device. Install the watch app from the watch's Play Store, and the phone companion from the phone's Play Store.
• Still stuck? Email watchwalksupport@gmail.com.