26.10.01 17:26

Wear OS - How to Set Up SMB Network Storage

Step-by-step guides: See our visual walk-throughs: Connect Smartwatch to NAS & PC Shares and Listen to Music on Your Watch.

Both builds since S4029. Network storage on the watch - SMB connections, browsing them and playing from them - works in the version from Google Play too, for connections added on the phone. Typing a new connection’s username and password on the watch itself is noLegal only (Wear OS review item WO-P6).

What is SMB in Wear OS?

SMB allows your Wear OS watch to access files from:

How to add a connection: use your phone

Add network connections in the phone app. They sync to your watch automatically. This is the normal way to create one in the noLegal build.

  1. On your phone, open FastMediaSorter.
  2. Go to Resources.
  3. Tap + Add Network Source.
  4. Fill in the server, share, user and password with the phone keyboard.
  5. Tap Save.

That is it. Within a few seconds the connection appears on the watch under Browse -> Resources, ready to browse. Nothing needs to be typed on the watch, and your password is never entered on the small screen.

If the connection has not appeared yet, open Browse -> Resources on the watch and tap Sync from Phone. That pulls the current list from the phone straight away instead of waiting.

Why the watch does not ask for a password. Entering a username and password on a watch means a masked field on a screen the size of a stamp, in public, with voice input as the realistic alternative. We chose not to offer it: the credential stays on the phone, and the watch receives an already-working connection.

Once a connection is on the watch you can do everything else there - browse it, play from it, check its status and remove it. Only creating one belongs to the phone.

Adding a connection on the watch (development builds only)

This section does not apply to the app from Google Play, which has no network sources at all. The + Add SMB Connection button is present only in noLegal development builds. If you are looking for that button and cannot find it, that is expected - use the phone instead, as described above.

UI steps, development builds

Step 1: Open Resources

On your Wear watch:

  1. Open FastMediaSorter app
  2. Navigate to Browse tab
  3. Scroll down to Resources section
  4. Tap on Resources or Add Connection

What you see: A list showing:

Step 2: Tap “Add SMB Connection”

Click the ”+ Add SMB Connection” button

What appears: The “Add SMB Connection” screen with these fields:

Step 3: Enter Server Details

Since Wear OS has limited text input, you’ll need to enter details using:

  1. Long-press the “Server:” chip
  2. Say your server IP or hostname
    • Example: “192 dot 168 dot 1 dot 50”
    • Example: “nas dot local”
  3. Watch will display what it heard

Option B: Character Picker

  1. Tap the “Server:” chip
  2. A character picker appears (tap letters/numbers)
  3. Enter your server address

Option C: Phone App (see the phone route at the top of this page)

  1. On your phone, use the main app to add the network source
  2. Both devices share the same account
  3. The connection syncs automatically to your watch

Step 4: Fill in Fields

Server: IP address or hostname

Share: Folder name to access

User: Your username (if required)

Password: Your password (if required)

Step 5: Test Connection

  1. After entering all required fields, tap “Test Connection” button
  2. Watch shows status:
    • ✓ “Connected” - Success! Green indicator
    • ✗ “Failed: Access Denied” - Check credentials
    • ✗ “Failed: Cannot reach server” - Check IP/hostname

Step 6: Save Connection

  1. Once test succeeds, tap “Save” button
  2. Watch shows: “Connection saved”
  3. You’re returned to Resources list
  4. Your new connection now appears in the list!

Example: Adding a NAS Device

Typical settings:

Server: 192.168.1.50
Share: media
User: admin
Password: your_password

Steps:

  1. On the phone, open FastMediaSorter -> Resources -> + Add Network Source
  2. Server: 192.168.1.50
  3. Share: media
  4. User: admin, Password: your password
  5. Tap Save
  6. On the watch: Browse -> Resources - the NAS is there, ready to browse

In a development build you can also enter these on the watch itself; see the development-builds section above.

Example: Adding Windows Shared Folder

Typical settings:

Server: 192.168.1.100
Share: MyVideos
User: (leave empty)
Password: (leave empty)

Steps:

  1. On the phone, open FastMediaSorter -> Resources -> + Add Network Source
  2. Server: 192.168.1.100
  3. Share: MyVideos
  4. Leave user and password empty
  5. Tap Save
  6. On the watch: Browse -> Resources - the shared folder is there

What Happens After Save?

After saving, your connection:

  1. Appears in the Resources list with icon 📡
  2. Shows: “[Name]” and “[Server IP]”
  3. Tap it to browse files on that share
  4. Navigate folders like you would on your phone

Checking a Connection You Already Saved

When a saved connection stops answering, you can test it without retyping anything:

  1. Go to Browse -> Resources
  2. Press and hold the connection
  3. Choose Test
  4. The watch reports the same result the setup screen gives: success, or the reason it failed

Delete sits in the same menu and still asks for confirmation before removing anything.

This works for connections that arrived from your phone as well as ones typed on the watch.

Troubleshooting

“Failed: Cannot reach server”

“Failed: Access Denied”

“Cannot find share”

“Text input not working”

Using the phone app

This is the primary route, described in full at the top of this page. In short:

  1. On your phone:
    • Open main FastMediaSorter app
    • Go to Resources
    • Tap “+ Add Network Source”
    • Fill in details easily with phone keyboard
    • Save
  2. On your watch:
    • Connection automatically syncs
    • Just browse and use!

In the noLegal build this is the normal way to create a connection; on the watch you browse and use it. The version distributed through Google Play does not offer network connections.

Resources Files Browser

Once connected, you can:

Performance Tips

  1. Use 5GHz WiFi - Faster than 2.4GHz
  2. Stay close to router - Better signal on watch
  3. Server should be wired - Faster access
  4. Don’t run other apps - Frees up resources

Removing a Network Connection

  1. Go to Resources list
  2. Long-press the connection you want to remove
  3. Tap “Delete” or “Remove”
  4. Confirm deletion

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