Samsung has announced the details of rolling out its new smartwatch operating system, One UI 9 Watch, which will be available for most models of previous watch families, with the exception of the Galaxy Watch 4 series, which has reached the end of its official software support cycle and will not receive the new update.
End of Support for the Galaxy Watch 4 Series
The list of devices excluded from the One UI 9 Watch update is limited to both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, including special editions such as the Golf Edition and the Thom Browne Edition. This decision marks a milestone for this series, which was launched in 2021 and saw Samsung transition from the Tizen operating system to Google's Wear OS.
What Does Not Receiving the Update Entail?
The Galaxy Watch 4 series received four major operating system upgrades, which removed it from the circle of future support for major updates. Although the absence of the update will not affect the current performance of the watches, it means the cessation of bug fixes, new features, and security updates, in addition to the potential impact on future app compatibility.
What Does This Mean for Users?
In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and newer devices will receive the One UI 9 Watch update before the end of 2026, which includes a refreshed interface and advanced health features such as daily heart rate strain and heart health indexing. For users who own Galaxy Watch 4 models, this timing presents an opportunity to consider upgrading to newer devices such as the Galaxy Watch 9 or Galaxy Watch 8 Classic for those who wish to keep the rotating bezel, or repurposing the older watches as sleep trackers or smart home controllers.