If you own a Garmin smartwatch, you can now send texts via WhatsApp. Garmin announced on Tuesday that WhatsApp is now available for free download from its Connect IQ store. The Meta-owned app will be available for select Garmin Fenix, Forerunner, Venus and Vívoactive smartwatches. This integration makes WhatsApp the only third-party messaging app available on Garmin smartwatches. 

Garmin is one of CNET's leading makers of fitness trackers among runners and for sleep tracking. CNET recently tested a group of smartwatches to see which is the most accurate, and the Garmin Venu 4 earned the top honor for elite-level heart rate tracking on Android phones.

"By bringing a global messaging brand like WhatsApp to select Garmin smartwatches, we're giving customers another meaningful way to stay connected -- whether they're training, exploring or simply on the move," Susan Lyman, Garmin's vice president of consumer sales and marketing, said in a statement.

Garmin smartwatch users will be able to read and respond to messages with the built-in keyboard on their watch screens, view incoming calls and decline them, and view their chat history up to 10 messages.

The Kansas-based company uses end-to-end encryption to protect messages shared through the device.

Correction, March 23: This story originally misrepresented Garmin's WhatsApp features. You can send texts and screen calls with a Garmin smartwatch, but making and answering calls isn't possible.