Samsung Releases One UI 8 Watch for Galaxy Watch 4, Last Update before Retirement

JAKARTA - Samsung has finally rolled out the One UI 8 Watch update based on Wear OS 6 for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. This update is available for the Wi-Fi variant in South Korea and is sure to follow to other regions in the near future, including global markets.

Although it came a little late, this update marks Samsung's commitment to completing the support cycle for its modern wearable devices. However, there is an important note: One UI 8 Watch is the last major system update for the Galaxy Watch 4 series, which was first launched in 2021.

This update with a size of more than 1 GB brings a number of significant changes. The interface is made fresher, Tiles now supports many widgets on one page, and the Now Bar feature is present on the wrist to display running activities such as music playback and sports. Samsung also added new gestures such as double pinch and wrist shake, strengthening the touchless navigation experience.

In terms of health, One UI 8 Watch includes Bedtime Guidance for more personalized sleep guidance as well as a Vascular Load feature that monitors vascular load. Notifications are now more neat, charging effects are updated, and the app drawer gets a more practical list view.

For users in South Korea, the update can be checked through the Galaxy Wearable app with a minimum battery of 50 percent. Samsung has previously released One UI 8 Watch for the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 7, making the Watch 4 the cover of the first generation of Samsung's Wear OS smartwatches.

In short, this is a pretty sweet farewell update. The Galaxy Watch 4 may be retiring from major updates, but at least it's going down with the most up-to-date software version. Technology also knows when to say goodbye, and this time it's quite elegant.