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The hotfix addressing a known battery bug on the Gear S3 is rolling out globally, Samsung confirmed on Tuesday, as reported by 9to5Google. The new software package was first spotted by one Canadian user earlier today but with no reports of the same firmware being available in other parts of the world, it was presumed the update was initially being distributed in a limited capacity. While that didn’t end up being the case, no users in other parts of the world have yet claimed to have received the hotfix. Still, in light of Samsung’s announcement, the wait shouldn’t be too long and the firmware is likely to begin hitting Gear S3 units outside of Canada in a matter of hours, if it hasn’t already.
The issue was originally spotted in early December, shortly after the South Korean tech giant started rolling out the Tizen 3.0 update to owners of its 2016 smartwatch. Following the installation of the Tizen 3.0 Value Pack, a number of users were complaining about experiencing heavy battery drainage but not all owners of the Gear S3 and Gear S3 Frontier were seemingly affected by the problem. While it’s currently unclear how prevalent the bug was, all users should soon be able to return to having a three-day battery life with conservative use, as was the case prior to the Tizen 3.0 upgrade. The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer didn’t disclose what exactly drained the battery, with a memory leak being the likeliest suspect, as is usually the case with software issues of this nature.
Despite being over a year old, the Gear S3 lineup is still Samsung’s latest series of smartwatches featuring an aesthetic that places it in the fashion accessory segment of the market, even with all of its fitness tracking capabilities. This year, the OEM opted for a more sporty smartwatch design by delivering the Gear Sport, a device that’s essentially a combination of the best features found inside the Gear S3 and Gear Fit-series wearables encased in a body made in accordance with the MIL-STD-810G military durability standard which also boasts 5ATM water resistance at depths of up to 50 meters (164 feet).