Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung appears to be working on a “Pointer Mode” feature for Wear OS.
- The feature would allow you to control your TV through your smartwatch with specific air gestures.
- You’ll be able to activate Pointer Mode by shaking your watch hand.
Are you always losing the TV remote or tired of having to get up because it’s just out of reach? You may not have to worry about those problems in the near future. Samsung appears to be working on letting you control your TV with your Galaxy smartwatch.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
In the SmartThings app on Wear OS (version 1.3.12.9), we noticed some strings of code referencing a feature called “Pointer Mode.” This is most likely a feature that will be exclusive to Galaxy smartwatches.
Code
<string name="pointer_mode">Pointer Mode</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_app_support_toast">Pointer mode may not be supported in all apps</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_gesture_control">To use Pointer mode, disable all gesture controls.</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_screen_text">You can use gesture while on this screen</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_setings_Low">Low</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_settings_High">High</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_settings_Mid">Mid</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_suggestion">You can activate the Pointer mode by shaking your watch hand</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_universal_gesture">To use Pointer mode, disable Universal Gesture.</string>
<string name="pointer_mode_view_tutorial">View Tutorial</string>
<string name="no_pointer_mode_supported_tv">You don't have any devices that support Pointer mode.</string>
<string name="user_instruction_1">Activate Pointer mode with shake gesture</string>
<string name="user_instruction_2">Pinch to select</string>
<string name="user_instruction_3">Make a fist to go back</string>
<string name="user_instruction_4">Make a fist twice to go Home</string>
<string name="user_instruction_5">Move your wrists back and forth to play/pause</string>
<string name="user_instruction_6">Rotate bezel to scroll up or down on your TV</string>
<string name="user_instruction_7">Use your wrist to control the cursor's movement</string>Based on the strings above, it appears Pointer Mode will use gesture controls like wrist and finger movements. It sounds somewhat reminiscent of the gesture controls used for the Vision Pro and Apple Watch. For example, you would shake your hand to activate pointer mode. Pinching would be how you select a channel, making a fist would send you back to the previous channel you were on, and making a fist twice would take you to Home.
Check out the video below to see a demonstration of how Pointer Mode would work based on this information.
Pointer Mode would be a little different than the Wiimote-like feature coming to the SmartThings phone app later this year. That feature provides a touchpad in the phone app, allowing you to control a cursor on the TV. It will also allow you to point your smartphone at the TV for cursor control. There would be no touchpad interface for Pointer Mode.
