Pairing your GALAXY WATCH 4/5 (WearOS, Pixel Watch) with a Bluetooth gamepad or joystick seems to be a challenging task. The device’s settings menu, specifically the Bluetooth section, doesn’t detect any Bluetooth game controllers. However, there is an easy workaround. By utilizing the Bluetooth Pair for Wear OS app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store directly on your watch, you can successfully pair game controllers with your Smart Watch. This allows you to enjoy playing retro games with emulators using a game controller.

The Bluetooth Pair for Wear OS basically works with all Android Wear watches, such as Pixel Watch, TicWatch, just visit the Google Play store on watch and download it.

Pair bluetooth keyboard to Galaxy Watch 4/5 (Wear OS)

In some cases, you may want to use a keyboard with your watch, here is how:

What can you play on Galaxy Watch

The gamepad can be used to play retro games on your watch, check these videos to learn more about it.

Why can’t you pair a bluetooth gamepad with Wear OS

Android Wear OS, the operating system designed for wearable devices like smartwatches, does not support pairing with gamepads or keyboards due to several reasons:

1. Form Factor Limitations: Wearable devices like smartwatches, including the Galaxy Watch, have limited physical space and hardware capabilities. The small screen size and compact design of these devices make it impractical to support gamepad or keyboard input. The primary input method on wearable devices is touch-based interaction or voice commands, which are more suited for their form factor.
2. User Experience Considerations: Gamepad or keyboard input on a small smartwatch screen would result in a poor user experience. The small keys or buttons on a gamepad or keyboard would be challenging to use accurately and comfortably, leading to frustration and a subpar gaming or typing experience.
3. Design Focus: Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, are primarily designed for quick interactions and glanceable information. They are intended to provide convenient access to notifications, health tracking, and other essential functions. The design focus of Android Wear OS is on optimizing the user experience for these specific use cases, rather than supporting extensive gaming or text input.
4. Battery and Performance Constraints: Pairing a gamepad or keyboard with a smartwatch would likely put a strain on the device’s battery life and performance. Wearable devices are typically designed with power-efficient components to ensure longer battery life. Supporting continuous input from a gamepad or keyboard would consume more power and may degrade the overall performance of the device.

It’s worth noting that the primary purpose of wearable devices like smartwatches is to provide quick access to essential functions and information in a compact and portable form factor. While they may not support gamepad or keyboard pairing, they excel in other areas such as health tracking, notifications, and integration with smartphones, delivering a unique user experience tailored for wearable technology.