Komoot has launched a new version of its app, which gives users of Google’s Wear OS devices phone and internet-free navigation.
The new app enables you to plan a route in Komoot, then download it directly to Wear OS smartwatches and other devices, bypassing your phone.
It’s a major upgrade from previous Komoot support on Wear OS.
"Until now, Komoot on Wear OS showed only your next turn,” explains Tom Eldred, product manager at Komoot. “Navigation ran on your phone, and there was no map on your watch. Our new app brings detailed maps and turn-by-turn navigation straight to your wrist, and both work offline."
Reduced battery drain
Komoot says the new Wear OS app supports not only detailed offline maps, with panning and zooming, and turn-by-turn navigation with haptic and visual prompts, but also auto-rerouting and activity recording.
Komoot says it has addressed battery drain, with a simplified map that’s activated when the screen dims and draws less power. If you record multiple activities offline, the app will queue them and they’ll be uploaded automatically to Komoot once you’re back online.
Wear OS is designed by Google for use in wearables and smartwatches and supports navigation, fitness tracking and Google Wallet, among other functions. It’s used on a range of smartwatches, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch and the Google Watch.
Back in January, Komoot launched offline navigation for Apple Watch users, so the new Wear OS functionality extends this to another range of wearables. Komoot has added one-click integration with Wahoo Elemnt cycling computers this year too, as it looks to integrate more closely with popular device platforms, following its purchase by Bending Spoons, an Italian tech firm, in 2025.
Komoot is planning further enhancements to the Wear OS app over the next few months. These include live syncing, so you can change a route on your phone and this will be reflected immediately in your Wear OS device while you are recording an activity. It also plans to add live tracking, distance to next POI and on-the-fly climb profiles in the near future.
