Which Android Wear Watches Have NFC and Support Android Pay?
  • Posted byby Kellen

Which Android Wear Watches Have NFC and Support Android Pay?

Android Wear 2.0 is slowly rolling out to your favorite smartwatches, but it’s also shipping on a new wave of devices. That new wave is pretty key to the success of one of Wear 2.0’s biggest features: Android Pay. In order to use Android Pay from your wrist, your watch needs an NFC chip and none of the old guys have one. Thankfully, most of the new guys do.

So for those curious about Android Wear watches that are capable of stepping into the card-less payment future we were promised years ago, we’ve put together a little list of the options. 

As time goes on, we’ll do our best to update this, so don’t be too depressed if it looks on the smaller side at the moment. We’re fully expecting almost all new Android Wear devices to ship with NFC chips going forward.

Android Wear devices with NFC:

  • LG Watch Sport: AT&T | Verizon | Best Buy | Google
  • LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE: Verizon
  • TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45: TAG Heuer
  • Huawei Watch 2: Huawei
  • Verizon24: Verizon (No Android Pay)
Written by

Kellen

It’s not often that you get to merge personal passions into a professional life, but that’s what Kellen did when he launched Droid Life in 2009. After working years of unsatisfying jobs in the medical and property management fields, he took a risk to try and create an online community while playing with the coolest gadgets on the planet each day, a risk that has turned out to be incredibly rewarding. Outside of Droid Life, Kellen is your typical Portlander who drinks way too much good beer, complains often about the Trail Blazers, and can be found out on the streets for a run, rain or shine.

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32 Comments

  • It’s a shame really. Doesn’t Android Pay other methods of payment besides NFC?

  • Who uses any of these “pay” features. I have never been in any store, restaurant or whatever where i have ever seen anyone pay via android/apple or samsung pay…serious…who is using this stuff?

    • I use it. I guess I’m kind of an early adopter, though. I’ve been wearing smartwatches every day for over 4 years.

    • I was recently in Netherlands, and they’ve got tap to pay terminals all over the place, since many of their cards have tap functionality. When I used my phone on them, they acted like I was a silly American wizard.

    • I use my Samsung Gear S3 Frontier for Samsung Pay every day every store I go to. That’s the unique thing with Samsung Pay…We don’t need NFC or special terminals…It’s like swiping a card.

      • My S3 Classic arrives today. You say it works on any swiping terminal? So, my Android Pay app failing at Wal Mart doesn’t mean my new watch won’t work there? Will I have any trouble pairing or give up any features because my phone is non-Samsung? (Moto X Pure – 7.1.1 custom ROM, root masked)

          • Ah. You’re the man. I’ll be following that guide this afternoon. Went to the Play store and already downloaded the main Gear app. Showed up in the search just fine for my heavily modded phone.

          • You should be good. The hardest part is having to tell a cashier that you’re paying with a debit on your watch. They’ll automatically say “we don’t have Apple pay” to which you’ll have to tell them to just go thru the motion of promoting you to enter your debit/credit card…Then you just put the watch near the card slot.
            Then you’ll see amazement by the cashier’s lol.

          • Well durn. Double bad news. S-Voice won’t initiate an SMS from the watch using my non-Samsung phone. Looks like that’s a known limitation. It’s one that I can live with, since a little navigation on the watch to my favorite contact does let me voice a text from there. Much worse though is that I get “an error has occurred” with no other explanation when I try to add a card to Samsung Pay. I’ve tried two valid debit cards, one of which was successfully authorized through Android Pay previously and neither work. Tried a couple credit cards too, with same results. I’m guessing that having a non stock ROM with Magisk root on a non Samsung phone is enough to bork the Pay process. Bummer. That’s the main reason I wanted the watch. Google searches of “an error has occurred” while adding card to Samsung Pay provide no relevant results.

  • Why does it matter? Samsung Pay is the ONLY phone and watch that should matter since I can basically use it ANYWHERE they accept debit/credit cards. Android Pay and Apple Pay are basically useless since only a handful of places actually have NFC terminals. I just don’t think the majority of Android users understand how Samsung Pay is light years ahead of any other mobile payment solution….they literally think it’s the same as Android Pay which is “WRONGGG” [in Trump voice].

      • Best hop on the train with the big boys!! Samsung S7 is the best phone on the planet….S8 is next and it will conquer all. Then u can use an awesome Gear S3 Frontier.

      • Fortunately you only need the watch to use Samsung Pay now. Gear S3 will work regardless of whatever phone you have.

    • I couldn’t use it, I guess It had to do with the fact that my card has a chip and kept saying insert my card. And idk where you guys are from but there are a lot of places with NFC payment options now. I can eat, shop, and put gas without my card. And S7 lol yeah The Note 4 was Samsung’s last great phone.

  • It’s sad to know that the Verizon watch is the only one that was recently announced I have any interest in.

    • Agreed, it’s “nice enough” looking from the top (the part that I’ll actually see 99% of the time while wearing it) for me to order one… now if VZW could just ship it before 4/7, seems they’re sold out across the board!

  • I want a SmartWatch that has NFC and Android Pay that can last ~4+ days on a single charge. That I can also use as a fitness tracker that would track steps and flights of stairs and sleep and that I can go swimming with (that could count my laps and strokes). Sell it for $199.99 and I’ll be buying! I’ve found things that are close, like the Garmin vívoactive® HR, but no Android Pay 🙁

    • I want a ? for FaceTime so I can use my watch like a communicator. That’s what I’m waiting for

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  • This is a pretty sad list. Don’t know what Google was thinking leaving out NFC on the Watch Style. They must’ve been talking to OnePlus at the time or something.

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