Samsung Electronics is releasing a new software update for the Gear S3 Frontier smartwatch containing an addition in the form of improved third-party app notifications. Following the update, owners of the device will be able to take advantage of vibrating notifications from third-party messaging applications as the feature will essentially no longer be restricted to the default messaging app. Reportedly, the software package is currently distributed in the United States, though other regions are expected to follow in the near future.
The latest update heading towards the Gear S3 Frontier weighs only about 7.4MB, so it should be easily obtainable once it arrives alongside an update notification. As per usual, the update is expanding gradually and although it appears to be available only in the U.S. as of this writing, it should continue to launch in other areas in the coming days and weeks. This particular software update is being launched while Samsung Electronics is preparing to unveil new products at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Germany. The list of the company’s upcoming products is likely to include the long-rumored Samsung Gear Sport said to close the gap between the company’s Gear S smartwatches and Gear Fit wristbands, combining both worlds into a new hybrid formula. The Gear Sport was spotted at the FCC earlier this month, and more recently the device received its certificate from the Wi-Fi Alliance while running Tizen 3.0 OS out of the box. Tizen 3.0 is expected to make its debut on the smartwatch with the release of the rumored Gear Sport, but nevertheless, the new OS version could also make its way onto some of the company’s existing wearables including the Gear S3 Frontier. Whether or not the smartwatch will receive other minor software updates before Tizen 3.0 arrives is unclear.
The Gear S3 Frontier was introduced a year ago at IFA 2016 as part of the Gear S3 series which also includes the Gear S3 Classic. The model at hand features a 1.3-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 by 360 pixels and is powered by an in-house Exynos 7270 system-on-chip developed by Samsung, housing a dual-core processor clocked at 1.0GHz and 768MB of RAM. The wearable offers 4GB of internal storage, a 380mAh battery, and was released in both Wi-Fi-only and LTE-enabled variants.
@SamMobiles gear s3 frontier update came out today in the usa pic.twitter.com/n1pnaZqrSU
— Andy Shannon (@AndyDevo) August 30, 2017