In early June, rumors emerged suggesting that Samsung might not provide the Wear OS 6-based One UI 8 Watch update for its Galaxy Watch 4 series. Reports indicated that the company was focusing on upgrading its newer models first, potentially leaving the Galaxy Watch 4 without an update before its four-year support period concluded.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Samsung announced that it would indeed roll out One UI 8 Watch to the Galaxy Watch 4, despite its official support window having ended. Samsung confirmed this update to SamMobile but did not specify a timeline for its release.
Since Wear OS 6 is still in beta testing for the Watch 7 lineup, the Galaxy Watch 4 may have to wait a while for the update. It is likely that Samsung will continue to release beta builds for the newer model before delivering stable firmware, projected for late August or early September.
The rollout for older devices like the Galaxy Watch 4 will follow in the subsequent weeks or months. While the new health features in One UI 8 Watch, such as the Antioxidant Index and Vascular Load, will not be available for the Galaxy Watch 4 due to hardware limitations, the watch is expected to benefit from the enhanced performance and efficiency that Wear OS 6 offers.
Since its launch in 2021, the Galaxy Watch 4 has had a notable run. As the first smartwatch to operate on Wear OS 3—which was developed through a collaboration between Samsung and Google—it played a crucial role in revitalizing Google’s presence in the smartwatch sector.
Encouragingly, Samsung has gone beyond its promised four-year support, setting a commendable precedent for longevity in the wearable tech market.
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