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How to Install Apks on WearOS: Without the Google Play Store, A Guide for Sideloading Apks

By AndroidGreek Team
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We have seen massive growth in the smartwatch industry, and Apple has been dominating it for a while. So do Android smartwatches, and for that, Wear OS is the way to go. Not to mention, WearOS is not as close as the Apple Watch, but since it is Android, it is way more flexible, and customisable, and allows us to perform sideloading apk quite identically to how we do it on Android smartphones.

Today, in this article, we will be working on how you can download and install WearOS on your smartwatches. So, without further ado, let’s check it out.

How to Install APKs on WearOS on Smartwatches

There are various ways to perform sideloading an APK on WearOS, and we will be using the universal route through ADB, which allows you to install an APK on your smartphone in the safest way possible. There won’t be any vulnerabilities since there are no third-party extensions to use. Follow the steps mentioned below.

Pre-Requirements

Download ADB Files for Windows, Mac, and Linux 

Setup ADB

  • Once you finish downloading, extract the zip file to your choice of location.

Enable ADB Debugging on an Android Smartwatch

Start with enabling debugging on the Android smartwatch. Download and install the APKs on your smartwatch. Let’s check this out. 

  • Open the watch settings.
  • Head over to the system.
  • Tap on About, and start tapping the Build Number x7 times until it shows Developer Option Enabled.
  • Once the developer option is enabled, revert back to the previous settings screen.
  • At the bottom of the system, you will find the Developer Option.
  • Open the Developer Options section, and then from there, click on ADB Debugging.
  • Select the “green check” circular icon to confirm your action. Additionally, enable the Debug Over Wi-Fi option. If Wi-Fi debugging is enabled, it will change the string of the character to match your IP address It will display like this, e.g., 192.168.1.325:5555.

Download and install APKs using ADB.

Now we will be installing APKs on our Android watch through PC.

  • First, you need to download the app of your choice, which you want to install on your smartwatch.
  • Now, open CMD on Windows, Terminal on Mac/Linux, and then type
  • ./adb connect <IP Address>
  • After that, your smartwatch will show a pop-up saying Allow Debugging. Tap OK to confirm you want to proceed with debugging.
  • Next, on Windows, it will show your watch is connected, and then use the command
  • ./adb push <filename.apk> /sdcard/
  • To export the APK file you saved to your smartwatch.
  • Once the export is done, enter the following command to install the application.
  • ./adb -e install <filename.apk>
  • Once the installation is finished, the CMD/Terminal Screen will show a successful message.
  • That’s it!

Once the application has been installed into WearOS, you should continue to disable ADB Debugging and Wi-Fi Debugging from the setting itself. App developers are working on their apps to work on WearOS, but it’s still in development and not as polished as the ecosystem for Android smartwatches, which isn’t mature.

Meanwhile, sideloading comes in handy, but there might be some issues that you may encounter. It’s still quite handy if your region doesn’t have a Play Store, and installing an app on WearOS is worth it.

Hopefully, this article remains helpful for you, and you will successfully install the application on your device. If there is any query, share it with us in the comment section below. Keep an eye out for future updates on the subject.