Samsung Pay on the Gear S3 smartwatch will work with almost any Android phone
Samsung has already unveiled, and launched, its latest smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S3. The new smartwatch includes Samsung Pay functionality without the need of having your smartphone with you, so you can leave your phone at home and still stop at the grocery store to get some food.
https://twitter.com/SamsungPay/status/799467903204655104
However, what wasn’t known was whether Samsung Pay for the smartwatch would be compatible with non-Samsung smartphones. According to the Samsung Pay Twitter account, owners of the Gear S3 will be able to use Samsung Pay with any Android devices running at least Android 4.4 KitKat.
This may not be huge for some, but for those who aren’t willing to go all-in on the Samsung ecosystem, but want the new Gear S3, will be thrilled. This doesn’t mean that you will be able to use Samsung Pay on any non-Samsung device, but you will be able to use the service if you own the Gear S3.
It’s unknown whether Samsung plans on releasing a new companion application for non-Samsung smartphones, but we’ll have to wait for some type of official announcement. It would make sense for a companion app to be released as owners of the Gear S3 would want to input credit card information on a display larger than that of a smartwatch.