Garmin has followed up its popular Venu 2 smartwatch, one of the best Garmin smartwatches you can buy, with the new Venu 2 Plus, which the company revealed at CES 2022 in early January. Along with more software capabilities, the Venu 2 Plus adds an exciting new feature: you can make phone calls from it when the device is tethered to your phone thanks to the built-in mic and button. How do you accomplish this? Through voice assistant capability, which also allows you to dictate text messages to send right from your wrist.
Of course, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus also includes all the usual features you'd expect from a premium smartwatch, like health monitoring, fitness tracking, GPS, music, and access to apps. And like some other best Garmin smartwatches, it's compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Which smart voice assistants work with the Garmin Venu 2 Plus?
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus works with several of the most popular smart voice assistants, including Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Samsung's Bixby. Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, it does not, however, offer support for Amazon Alexa. With that being said, Samsung Galaxy device owners will appreciate the inclusion of Bixby support.
Once connected to your smartphone, you can use the voice assistants to make calls from your wrist, allowing you to keep the smartphone tucked away in your purse, backpack, or briefcase so you don't have to go rummaging for it. Or you can simply keep your hands free while you shop or navigate the cold weather outside. But keep in mind that the watch does not have LTE capabilities which means you can only make and answer calls when your phone is connected to it and within range.
Additionally, you can ask the voice assistant questions, like you would using a smart speaker at home or your actual smartphone. Use the Venu 2 to compose new messages, reply to a received message, ask questions, like details about traffic and sports scores; or to set a timer and even control compatible smart home devices while you lounge on the couch. This means you can control not only Google-enabled smart devices but those who work with Siri and Bixby as well.
Keep in mind that some specific phones may not work with the voice assistant capabilities due to known software issues in certain versions of the Android OS. These include older model devices running Android 10 like the Google Pixel 1 and Huawei P40 Pro and Lite. You can see a full list of smartphones that the voice assistant feature may not function properly with via the Garmin website.
Use your voice
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus adds voice assistant capability so you can make and receive calls, send text messages, ask questions, control smart home devices, and more, all from your wrist.
How will you use the feature?
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a solid smartwatch from one of the best in the business, especially for sports enthusiasts and fitness fanatics. And the added smart voice assistant compatibility in this upgraded version of the Venu 2 might be worth the extra bucks for the new model. If you own a compatible Android device, particularly a Samsung Galaxy phone, or even an iPhone or other Google Assistant-enabled device, you'll be able to get full use out of these features.
For those who commute on public transportation, for example, and don't want to go fishing in their bag for their phone, want to reply to text messages from the office while on the treadmill without having to stop, or multitaskers, it's a great opportunity to get things done faster and more efficiently. Plus, who doesn't want to feel like James Bond or Dick Tracy, chatting into a mic on their wrist?
