Watch 6: Gmail app requires re-authentication?

[jeffmoo]

On my new Watch 6, the apps for Google Calendar and Google Contacts open with their content.

But whenever I tap on the app Gmail, it shows the message "Authentication is required. You need to sign into your Google account", but the "Re-authenticate" button below that does nothing.

Google Play Services in my Android phone has all the permissions.

So how would I use Gmail on my watch?

Thanks

[GG737]

I have an identical issue

OnePlus 10 & Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Calendar and Contacts work perfectly fine, and I could  download stuff from playstore but Gmail doesnt  work and maps does t work.

I tried adding another account, removing original, re-adding and then removing new account

now calendar doesn't work, email doesn't work and maps doesn't work and the notification to re-authorize wont go away

[jeffmoo · Accepted solution]

It seems the reason for this issue is that my email address is not using @gmail.com. I have my own domain. 

To be clear, this address is a Google account. I am able to use the Gmail app and all the other Google apps on my Android phone using this email address. And this is the Google account that is used in my phone, in the Wear app, and on the watch. It is also the Google account in the Play app and Assistant app in the watch.

But for reasons I do not understand, the Google apps relating to Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, Keep) do not accept a non-gmail.com address. There are many businesses and organizations that use Google Workspace with their own domains in their addresses, and all their employees cannot use these apps in a WearOS device.

This is incredibly short-sighted and restrictive by Google. It makes the WearOS device much less useful and much less competitive versus the Apple offering.

[toansof]

This happens due to Google's security to protect customers's business data stored on emails and workspace.

If you still want to add a Google business account to your Watch 6, you have to turn off "mobile management for all mobile devices" of your organization. The instructions to do so are below: 

 https://support.google.com/a/answer/7581380?sjid=8538886733642102952-AP#prevent-sync

[jeffmoo]

Hi 

Thanks for your reply but that does not seem to be the case for WearOS. Google is stating clearly that only personal gmail.com addresses will work with their Workspace apps on the watch devices. See here

It only refers to the Gmail app but from my experimenting on the watch using a personal Gmail.com address and a personal non-gmail.com address, this limitation is for Google's Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, Maps, Keep apps as well.

So for all those organizations that use Google Workspace with their own domains, staff members buying a Samsung (or any WearOS) watch would be restricted. It's not really worth the high price for them.

[toansof · Accepted solution]

Hi Jeff,

The instruction is for WearOs. I myself succesfully added my domain Google Workspace account to my Galaxy Watch 6.

It clearly mentioned here.

The problem with your organization is that everyone can access company's data and sync with their WearOS devices.

[jeffmoo]

That worked!

Amazing! Thank you so much for your persistence. Samsung Tech support for the watch had no idea about this.

My watch is suddenly more useful for me.

[BusinessTechLeaders]

No. I have three separate workspace accounts and non work. As previously mentioned this is incredibly short sighted by Google

[Rajeev9963]

Hi Man, I am struggling with the same issue and unable to "TurnOFF the mobile management for all mobile device@ for my organization.

Can only an admin that means my company IT could do this? or I can make this change at my end. 

Please reply!

[toansof]

Yes, only your IT admin who has the right to access Google Workspace Admin Console can perform the "TURN OFF mobile management..." Sorry that you can not do it yourself.

[Nhymnble]

I'm not sure this is a Google issue, as some people are saying Google is shortsighted. I've just switched back to Samsung from a 2 year exploration of Apple's offerings, and this was not an issue with Gmail on my Apple phone. My business domains worked fine, without any tweaking, on my Apple 12 Pro Max. I'm now trying, unsuccessfully so far, to get them to work on my new Galaxy Watch 6 Classic...