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One UI Watch 5 is right around the corner, and the version has some new features from both Google and Samsung. Until the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung’s watches had severe performance issues and had unrefined software.
With the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung began shipping their smartwatches out with Google’s wearOS. They still ran Samsung’s software skin and design, but the software was now built on Google’s wearOS.
As a result, both Samsung and Google add many new features. The Watch 4 remains a competitive alternative to even the latest Pixel Watch. One UI Watch 4.5 improved the software experience and boosted accessibility and convenience.
The upcoming One UI Watch 5 is probably not as significant. The 4.5 version brought a full QWERTY keyboard on the screen to make typing better. Browsing the web, replying to messages and emails from your Watch, etc., was much more accessible.
You also have the option to communicate with handwriting and voice typing. Also, there’s the choice to switch between any input method at any time seamlessly. You can start typing something and continue it with voice input.
Communication was the major theme of that update. They also simplified the process of making calls from your Watch. You could add special touch inputs, too.
Some accessibility features let you change the color reproduction of the display. You can adjust hue and contrast and make the text easier to read. You can remove the animations, add or remove blur, and fiddle with the transparency effects. There’s also support for auditory assistance.
With One UI Watch 4 and 4.5 being such major updates, the features of One UI Watch 5 could appear underwhelming. However, this update isn’t made with too many features in mind. There are quality-of-life improvements throughout.
Update August 15: Samsung has started rolling out its One UI 5 Watch software update for Galaxy smartwatches. One UI 5 Watch brings the latest Wear OS 4 features to Samsung’s wearables lineup. The One UI 5 Watch update was first launched on the new Galaxy Watch 6 series. Now, Samsung is making it available for the Galaxy Watch 5 series beginning today. The Galaxy Watch 4 series will also receive the One UI 5 Watch update in the coming weeks.
What’s new with One UI 5 Watch?
Samsung’s One UI for Watch software builds on Google’s wearOS 4. That brings new accessibility features and a better text-to-speech experience. This update adds a Backup and Restore option to transfer data between watches.
Moreover, all granted permissions from your phone will carry over if you set up the Watch from your phone. Google also made a new Watch Face format in collaboration with Samsung. One UI 5 for Watch brings some unique safety and health features.
Until now, sleep tracking wasn’t very detailed on Galaxy Watches. You could do the basic monitoring, but this update brings a lot of additional data. It will add sleep phases, snoring hours, and blood oxygen tracking while asleep.
You get customized training programs and now get real-time running analysis. There’s a new feature called Route Workouts, and that’s only for the Pro models. Previous updates added cycling and hiking; this latest update will add activities like running and walking.
There’s also better Emergency SOS. You can now automatically connect to an emergency service number. The emergency service also gets access to the wearer’s location quickly, along with all the relevant medical information.
New features in detail
Along with metrics on snoring hours, sleep phase information, and SPO2 level tracking, it also helps you build healthier sleep habits. You can access the sleep coaching feature right from your wrist without using your smartphone.
Smart Things compatibility is also better, and the overall integration of your Watch is much better. Sleep tracking aside, there are improvements to fitness capabilities, too. The new Heart Rate Zone analyzes and chooses the right workout intensity level for you.
Warm-up, fat burn, cardio, hard training, and max mode are the five modes that vary in intensity. For the Watch 5 Pro users, you can access GPX files directly through the Samsung Health application.
Moreover, fall detection is automatically enabled for everyone aged fifty-five and older. All of these features were announced on 4th May.
Which devices will get One UI 5 Watch and when?
The entire Galaxy Watch 4 lineup and the new Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro will be eligible for the new One UI 5 Watch update. Of course, this One UI 5 for Watch will first debut on the new Galaxy Watch 6 series, which will come out in July 2023’s Unpacked.
There’s a beta program in May if you live in Korea or the USA. Through the Samsung Members app, you can enroll in this beta program. The registration process works similarly to how it does for One UI beta versions.
We’re unsure if and when Samsung will expand these beta programs to other regions. The public version of the One UI 5 Watch update could come out around August, which is sometime after the launch of the Watch 6.
