Best answer: Yes, you can answer phone calls and messages using the Garmin Venu 2 Plus. This is, in part, thanks to its built-in speaker and mic along with voice assistant compatibility, as well as dedicated answer/end buttons on the watch face.

Garmin introduced the Venu 2 smartwatch in the Spring of 2021, and already, less than a year later, the company has followed it up with an enhanced version. Aptly called the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, this new version offers compelling upgrades, including new software, compatibility with popular voice assistants, the ability to store music for offline listening, and more. But one of the most exciting additions is the ability to make phone calls from the device using the built-in mic, speaker, and button. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind when using this feature.

How can you answer phone calls and messages from the Garmin Venu 2 Plus?

For answering phone calls and responding to messages from the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, it needs to be wirelessly tethered to your phone, and thus your phone has to be within range. Unfortunately, the smartwatch does not feature LTE connectivity to function on its own to connect to a wireless network.

However, if you're traveling, visiting the gym, driving to work, or your phone happens to be tucked away in a backpack, it's tricky at times (or unsafe) to answer an incoming call or reply to a text message. But with this smartwatch, you can see a message or incoming call on its screen and answer safely right from your wrist.

To do this, use a compatible voice assistant to dictate a text-based reply. The Venu 2 Plus works with Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Samsung Bixby. Summon whichever voice assistant you use on your phone to compose a text message (or reply) and send it away. When used with a compatible Android device, you can also select a unique "reply" button when you want to decline an incoming call and send a pre-written text message reply immediately to the person, like "in a meeting" or "call you later." Meanwhile, there's a dedicated button for making/taking phone calls.

The speaker, mic, and voice assistant compatibility come in handy to use the watch to ask questions just as you would on the phone, and you can even control compatible smart home devices.

What else can the Garmin Venu 2 Plus do?

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus is a full-featured smartwatch that will likely rise the ranks to be named one of the best smartwatches for fitness, a distinction its predecessor, the Venu 2, has already achieved. In particular, the Venu 2 has received high marks for its generous battery life.

Indeed, the Venu 2 Plus offers an impressive battery with nine-day battery life per charge in smartwatch mode and up to eight hours when using the built-in GPS and Music mode. Thanks to the rapid battery recharge feature, charge it for just 10 minutes to get an extra day. There is also a battery saver mode.

Other key features include heart rate, advanced sleep, stress, Pulse OX, hydration, and women's health tracking; fitness age and Body Battery energy monitoring; 25+ built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, ranging from HIIT to yoga; compatibility with the Garmin Connect app for creating customized workouts; automatic incident detection in the event of a fall to reach out to pre-defined contacts or emergency contacts; Garmin Pay; and the ability to download up to 650 songs from Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer.

The Venu 2 Plus can work with Android and Apple devices like other Garmin smartwatches.

Garmin Venu 2 Plus GPS Smartwatch

Replies in a jiffy from your wrist
With the Garmin Venu 2, you can quickly reply to text messages using the compatible voice assistant on your phone and press a button to answer or decline an incoming call.

How will you use the feature?

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus was introduced at CES 2022, instantly exciting the brand's fans with its new capabilities. So if you've been deciding between this and the previous Venu 2, it might be worthwhile to grab this model, mainly if you think you'll use the phone call and messaging features, which are some of the most enticing upgrades.

Aside from feeling like you're right out of a James Bond movie, the Venu 2 Plus is convenient when you're trying to squeeze in a workout during the day but don't want to miss anything important or when you're multitasking while on hold for what seems like forever waiting for customer service. You can also unobtrusively reply to a message from family or friends during a meeting without offending anyone.

There are countless ways the feature can come in handy beyond the "cool" factor, making the Garmin Venu 2 Plus a great smartwatch beyond just the fitness and health aspects.