Samsung recently released the One UI 5.0 Watch update for its Galaxy Watches. The update was based on Google’s WearOS and Samsung’s watches were the first ones to receive it, specifically the Galaxy Watch 6 series.
Now, as Google is planning to release WearOS 5 later this year, Samsung users should also expect the update to arrive on their eligible Galaxy Watches soon.
WearOS Release Timeline Changes
This year’s WearOS 4.0 was based on Android 13 and the previous version was on Android 11. Google didn’t really have a proper release schedule for WearOS until now. Now that they have their own Pixel Watch, Google is more serious about WearOS.
WearOS will now follow a yearly upgrade cycle, just like Android. Moreover, it will be based on the corresponding Android version. This means that WearOS 5 will be based on Android 14. To make this even more concrete, Mishaal Rahman confirmed that WearOS 6 will be based on Android 15. This makes it clear that WearOS 5 is indeed based on Android 14.
One UI 6 Watch Based On WearOS 5 Supported Devices List
Samsung has provided four years of Watch OS updates for its Galaxy smartwatches since the Galaxy Watch 4. This means that the following watches are eligible for the One UI 6 Watch based on the WearOS 5 update:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch6
- Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Watch5
- Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch4
Note: The above list is based on Samsung’s update policy and includes both the Bluetooth and LTE models.
One UI 6 Watch Based On WearOS 5 Release Date and Features
While there is no official information yet, One UI 6 Watch based on WearOS 5 should be released alongside the Galaxy Watch 7 in August 2024. For reference, the One UI 5.0 Watch based on the WearOS 4 update was released alongside the Galaxy Watch 6 series.
As per a report by 9to5Google, Samsung is internally testing WearOS 5 on its upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 which will be running the Exynos 5535 chip. It makes sense because WearOS 5 will first arrive on the Galaxy Watch 7 and then the Pixel Watch 3 in October.
Nevertheless, the Galaxy Watch 7 series will be the first smartwatch to be running on WearOS 5. As for the WearOS 5 features, we don’t know much but we can expect better efficiency, performance, battery life, and health monitoring. We have to wait for the official announcement to know more.
