It has been nearly a year late in coming but Samsung has finally delivered on its promise of bringing support for Samsung Pay for its Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic smartwatch users.
That's right! Samsung is finally bringing its popular mobile payment platform to the two smartwatches, thanks to a beta update. The Samsung Pay app's public beta version will be available for the Gear S2 smartwatch through the Gear manager app.
The update, dubbed Value Pack, brings in its fold a host of enhancements for Gear S2 Classic and Gear S2 users.
"To continue refining and improving the user experience for Gear S2 smartwatch users, Samsung began to provide its third update from July 15. This update is focusing on improvements of both ease of use and speed of access," notes the company.
The Tizen-powered Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic smartwatches from Samsung will now be able to support mobile payment via NFC readers. Unlike Samsung smartphones using Samsung Pay, the smartwatches will not offer support for transmission through magnetic strips. The beta is currently available only in the United States, and since many retail stores offer NFC terminals vis-à-vis the swipe system, this should not be a major concern for Gear S2 users.
What new features does the Value Pack update bring?
For those wondering what goodies the update has in store for the Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic, you will now be able to download both recommended apps and watchfaces directly via the smartwatch. Thanks to this feature, not only will downloads be faster but also simplify the user experience, making it more convenient.
Moreover, the options available for the watchfaces have increased. Users of the Gear S2 will be able to deploy the My Photo application to choose their own photo and set it as a watchface. The ability to customize the watchface will likely find favor with users. Those who want a default watchface can opt from the new colorful rings that are an addition.
Thanks to the update, the S Health feature also becomes more comprehensive and users of the smartwatch will now automatically be able to track their sleep data when they wear the device to bed.
Those who wish to share their exercise data to Facebook directly can now do so via the Gear S2. There is also a timer that has been added to S Voice, so basically one can start, pause or stop the timer simply by belting out an instruction. Making a call or sending a text on the smartwatch is also easy.
Samsung has also added a Contact Us functionality on the Gear app to aid users to contact customer support with ease.
Gear S2 or Gear S2 Classic users, who live in the United States and wish to get a taste of the beta testing, have to make sure that the Gear Manager app on their smartphones is in the latest version. They also have to ensure that the Value Pack firmware is installed on their smartwatches.
Users need to tap the option Samsung Pay Beta in the Gear Manager app to start the process. They will be taken through a step-by-step guide for configuring.
