By Kavita Mistry 
Everything is smart around us. Be it our phone, TV, watch, speakers, or even appliances such as the fridge and washing machine. Today’s devices require the least amount of human intervention to generate or produce desired results. Especially for TVs, we have plenty of apps that let you control them via your smartphone or tablet. But what if you just jumped on the couch to relax, only to find the TV remote and your smartphone lying somewhere not very close to you? Of course, the answer would be to get up from the couch, and get the remote or your phone. But what if I tell you there is another easy way to control your smart TV?
There is an app called WowMouse that I’ve been using for quite some time, and let me tell you, if you are a person who wears a smartwatch all day or even half the day, you will love controlling your smart TV with it. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps required to install and use WowMouse on your smartwatch and control your smart devices with hand gestures. Let’s jump right into it.
What is WowMouse?
You might have used a remote control app on your smartphone to control your smart devices. Similar to that, WowMouse lets you control any Bluetooth device via gestures using your smartwatch. The best part, as already mentioned, you can use it to control not only your smart TV but also any other device that has Bluetooth, including smart glasses, phones, tablets, computers, and more. Plus, this app works with Apple devices as well.
I am using the WowMouse app with my Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Classic, and it supports Samsung Galaxy Watch4, Galaxy Watch5, Galaxy Watch6, Galaxy Watch7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, or Google Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3. Basically, devices with Wear OS 2 or above. If you are in the Apple ecosystem, that is, you are using an Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch 5, Watch 6, Watch 7, Watch 8, Watch 9, Apple Watch Ultra 1, or Watch Ultra 2, then you need a companion app on the other device to pair your Apple Watch.
Compatible devices
To give you a clear perspective, here are the devices you can install and use the WowMouse app with:
- Wear OS
- Samsung Galaxy Watch4
- Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch5
- Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Watch6
- Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch7
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
- Google Pixel Watch 2
- Google Pixel Watch 3
- WatchOS
- Apple Watch SE
- Apple Watch SE 2nd gen
- Apple Watch 5
- Apple Watch 6
- Apple Watch 7
- Apple Watch 8
- Apple Watch 9
- Apple Watch 10
- Apple Watch Ultra 1
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
- TicWatch
- TicWatch E3
- TicWatch Pro 3
Connected devices
Most devices with Bluetooth HID (Human Interface Devices) can be controlled using the WowMouse app on the above smartwatches. Here’s a complete list of supported connected devices:
- Windows 10
- Windows 11
- Android
- ChromeOS
- Linux
- macOS
- iOS (Recommended to activate AssistiveTouch)
- iPadOS (Recommended to activate AssistiveTouch)
- Android TV (Connect from WowMouse via “Start Scan”)
- Kobo E-Reader
- Boox E-Reader
- Samsung DEX
- Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Magic Leap 2, Microsoft HoloLens 2
- Spectacles 4 and 5 (Custom Integration using TouchSDK/WebSockets)
- Brilliant Labs Frame (Custom Companion using TouchSDK)
Difference: WowMouse Free vs Pro
Similar to most apps, WowMouse also has a free and a pro tier. Notably, the free version is very well-equipped and gets you the hang of the app and gestures. It comes with all the necessary gesture support that you would need to control your smart devices. However, the pro version unlocks several other things that could be good for those who really like the WowMouse app. I’ve been using the free version, and it does suffice my needs.
For the curious, here is the comparison between the free and pro tiers:
|
Feature
|
Free
|
Pro ($4.99)
|
|---|---|---|
|
Flick
|
❌
|
✅
|
|
Scroll
|
✅
|
✅
|
|
Tap
|
✅
|
✅
|
|
Palm-Up Tap
|
✅
|
✅
|
|
Double Tap
|
❌
|
✅
|
|
Palm-Up Double Tap
|
❌
|
✅
|
|
More Back Mappings
|
❌
|
✅
|
|
Surface Taps
|
✅
|
✅
|
|
TouchSDK
|
✅
|
✅
|
|
Shake to Wake
|
✅
|
✅
|
|
On-Screen Keyboard
|
❌
|
✅
|
|
Advanced Settings
|
❌
|
– Wrist Shake Threshold
– Flick Threshold – Double Tap Interval – Flick Timeout |
How to install and use WowMouse?
- Get the WowMouse app from the Google Play Store on your smartwatch.
- Opening the app makes it discoverable by other Bluetooth devices.
- Grant permissions as asked by the app.
- Wear the watch on either of your hands. You can choose which hand you are wearing your watch on within the app. You can later change this preference within the app settings.
- The app on your watch will ask you to run through a three-step process, where you are asked to complete a sequence of three taps.
- Press on the devices icon and choose Connect from host; this will make your watch ready to be paired with a host device.
- On the host device, for instance, a Windows PC, head over to the Settings page by pressing the Win+I keys and connecting to your smartwatch.
- If the connection is successful, then you will see the watch face turn from blue to yellow.
- Tap on the cogwheel icon, where you will learn about different gestures for different modes. You can set the taps and flicks and also change the sensitivity for them.
- If you have the Pro version, then you have modes: Mouse, Arrow Keys, and Media
- Once set up, you can use the arrow keys to navigate, go back or forward, play, and pause.
For a complete set of default keys, you can head over to this link. Also, to download the companion app, click on the respective link: Mac Companion | Android Companion.
It brings controls to your wrist
WowMouse is not only a unique take on controlling smart devices, but it also enhances your smartwatch’s ability to control other smart devices. Do note that there is a learning curve involved with using the WowMouse app. I also came across some lag issues, and sometimes the gestures were not registering my inputs. However, newer smartwatches tend to have fewer issues, as when used with a Galaxy Watch7, I did not experience lag issues.