Samsung is pushing a new software update to the original Galaxy Watch, which was released back in August 2018. The five-year-old watch is getting some sensor stability and reliability improvements with this update. It may improve activity and health tracking features.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is getting a new update five years after its launch
The Galaxy Watch was Samsung’s first Galaxy-branded smartwatch (the company previously launched its wrist wearables under the Gear branding, with the Gear Sport in 2017 being the last model in the series). The device came running Tizen OS 4.0.0.0 in August 2018 (Samsung switched to Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4 series in 2021). The Korean firm regularly pushed new updates to the device for the first three years.
In February 2021, Samsung updated the Galaxy Watch to Tizen OS 5.5.0.1. It brought a host of new features and functional improvements to the device. The company followed up with another major in November of that year, introducing Tizen OS 5.5.0.2 and a few more new features. The device got new watch faces, support for Group Challenge Widget, longer calendar synchronization, and a lot more goodies.
While most users expected it to be the final update for the original Galaxy Watch, Samsung surprised everyone with a new release in August last year. It pushed GPS stability improvements to the device, enabling more accurate GPS tracking. Turns out it wasn’t the end of the story. Almost five years after its launch, the Galaxy Watch is getting another software update. The official changelog doesn’t specify anything more than what we mentioned above. But the 2018 watch getting an update halfway through 2023 is itself a big thing.
The rollout of the latest update for the Galaxy Watch began a few weeks back in select markets but it’s now reaching more users, including in the US and Europe. The new firmware version for the device is R8**XXU1GWE2. According to SamMobile, which first reported this update, the OTA (over the air) package weighs just over 34MB. Once the update is available for you, the Galaxy Wearable app on your connected smartphone will prompt you to download it. You can also manually check for updates from the Watch settings section in the app.
This update for the Galaxy Watch comes just a month before Samsung launches the Galaxy Watch 6 series. The company is readying two new models, including a Classic model featuring a physical rotating bezel. The watches will debut alongside new foldables and flagship tablets in late July.