Latest news with #OneUIWatch8
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Phone Arena
This is why people hate on Samsung and Google, praise Apple
Samsung recently held its summer Unpacked event, and it was a notch more exciting than usual. We got a completely redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 7, and a new set of Galaxy Watches that actually come with meaningful new the first time in a while, we get not one but a bunch of new products that come with new hardware is only half the story. Nowadays, premium mobile devices are super powerful, with enough headroom to last you years. Which is why software updates are just as important to keep customers happy, satisfied, and within your let's talk about the Galaxy Watch. And more importantly:Here's something interesting. The new Galaxy Watches include three models: Galaxy Watch 8 Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Classic Galaxy Watch Ultra However, calling all of them all-new is a bit generous. The hardware inside the Watch 8 series is pretty much the same as the Watch 7 (same excellent Exynos W1000 chip, same sensors on paper). Specifically, the Galaxy Watch Ultra seems to be a repeat of last year's model, now just with a new color option and more cool, that's fine, as mentioned above — the hardware is still on point, so no you needed more proof that the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2024 and Watch Ultra 2025 are basically identical — Samsung is already pushing the new One UI Watch 8 to last year's Galaxy Watch Ultra models. Given the company's update rollout history, that's quite unprecedented. And a pleasant surprise!And here's the good news — One UI Watch 8 for Galaxy Watch Ultra 2024 comes with all the features we saw on stage. Gemini assistant on board, Vascular Load, Antioxidant Index — the fancy new stuff that should, according to Samsung, improve our lifestyle and good to see that early adopters of the rather expensive Watch Ultra from 2024 are getting such a fine treatment. But what about those that bought the Galaxy Watch 7? Users on Reddit and Samsung's support boards are already asking — what's up? The Galaxy Watch 7 comes with a 4-year software update commitment. So, are they getting One UI Watch 8 with Vascular Load reading and Antioxidant Index? Nobody knows, no answer given OK, a $300+ smartwatch may be considered a 'budget model' compared to the $600+ Galaxy Watch Ultra, but nobody likes to be treated as second-class customer because they have a 'super-old 12-month device that wasn't even the most expensive choice on purchase'. There's no reason it wouldn't. A scan through the specs of the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 8 shows that the two share the same hardware and same sensors. Samsung's official specs My guess is that One UI Watch 8 will come to the 'mass market' units in… due time, and will proudly be announced to support everything that the Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic support. There are two possible answers: Option 1 - Samsung wants the Galaxy Watch 8 series to feel more exclusive and special during the marketing period - Samsung wants the series to feel more exclusive and special during the marketing period Option 2 - Samsung us gauging whether users will kick up enough dust before deciding on bringing the new features over Right out of the gates, I don't believe it's option number 2. Yes, the Samsung Health app currently says 'You need a Galaxy Watch 8 or higher to use this feature', but that's a line of text that can change once the watches get their updates. Then again, there is precedent for some companies to do such shenanigans in the past. I'll get to that in a Option 1 — it does make sense, though it's the bad move. We live in an era in tech where companies are building out entire ecosystems and wanting users to buy more and more of their different devices. From laptops, TVs, and desktops, to phones, watches, buds, and even smart know what makes people really, really decide to buy your product? Knowing that they will get the proper support for the long run. And communication and peace of mind is part of that magical word — 'support'. Again, I do believe that the Galaxy Watch 7 will get the new features. (Feel free to come back and drop a comment on how wrong I was when the update comes, and it doesn't have them.) But leaving customers in the dark over the hype period of the Galaxy Watch 8 is just not cool. Isn't it better to have people be hyped and excited about their Samsung products, even the old ones, so they come back when it's time to upgrade? In the age of 'ecosystem shopping', it's not realistic to expect people to upgrade every one of their devices each year. Smartphone one year, smartwatch the next, new laptop down the line — that's how it is pretty big on software support. New iPhones come with new iOS, new Apple Watches come with new watchOS. As soon as the products launch, you can expect an update on your older device. Some features do get cut off and remain exclusive to the new hardware. The difference is that it's usually known what you will and what you won't get. Yes, it's obfuscated behind marketing hype speak, but you can dig through the news announcements or Apple specs pages to figure out if your iPhone 13 will get that one new camera feature (or, you can read PhoneArena around release dates, because we love untangling those questions for you ;) ) But I do wish to point out that Apple did do one bad boo-boo in the recent past. Pertaining to Option 2, from above. When the Stage Manager multi-tasking feature was first announced in 2021, it was said it'll be for iPad Pros with M-class chips only. Stage Manager was quite the launch fiasco (Image credit - PhoneArena) The issue was that people had already bought up a lot of the recently-released iPad Pro 2020 models. These had the Apple A12Z SoC, which was quite powerful, and the community quickly kicked up a lot of fuss about being essentially snubbed. It's not cool to not get a major new feature, when you just bought an $800-$1000+ tablet less than 12 months ago. Suddenly, magically, it turned out that the A12Z Bionic can support Stage Manager. I guess Apple just forgot about it. So… That was just an aside, here's hoping that Samsung isn't taking the same route with the Galaxy Watch 7 One UI Watch 8 update (say that three times fast, by the way). When you switch to Total Wireless, keep your number & grab 3 mo. of 5G We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Phone Arena
22-07-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Samsung is treating Galaxy Watch Ultra users to a big surprise
Released around a year ago with One UI Watch 6 out the box, Samsung's first-ever rugged timepiece is today scoring its first-ever major software update. This is not One UI Watch 7, mind you, and I'm also not talking about some new beta build here. That's right, Galaxy Watch Ultra (2024) owners have suddenly and completely surprisingly started receiving notifications that the stable One UI Watch 8 promotion is now available for their Apple Watch Ultra-rivaling devices. If you're interested in refreshing your wearable's user interface (which you absolutely should be), you'll need to exercise some patience, as the massive update tips the scales at close to 2GB, thus requiring quite a bit of download and installation time. Of course, your patience will be rewarded with a fittingly huge list of new features, functionalities, and performance improvements officially detailed by Samsung last month. Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index are clearly chief on that list of tweaks and add-ons, bringing the first-gen Galaxy Watch Ultra perfectly in line with its (repetitive) 2025 sequel from a software standpoint. After fumbling a lot of updates for many of its best phones, tablets, and smartwatches over the last year or so, we all expected Samsung to turn a new software support leaf, especially after hearing that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 were planned to run One UI 8 at launch. But this is still a much faster stable update than anyone hoped, following mere weeks on the heels of the Watch Ultra's One UI Watch 8 beta program kickoff. For the time being, we only have confirmation that the update is rolling out over the air in the US on carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile , but I'm ready to bet a global expansion will take place in a matter of hours. Days, tops. Act fast and get the Galaxy Watch Ultra in White with $263 off its price. Only a few units are left, so this deal could expire soon. The watch offers great durability and packs a plethora of features. Don't hesitate! Buy at Amazon Alternatively, you can go for the Galaxy Watch Ultra in Gray, which is selling for $230 off on Amazon. Buy at Amazon With One UI Watch 8, the OG Galaxy Watch Ultra becomes even harder to turn down at hefty discounts across the nation... unless, of course, you think the non-rugged new Galaxy Watch 8 is the best smartwatch for you right now. Last year's frequently discounted Galaxy Watch 7 can also be a great option (with its own stable One UI Watch 8 update likely around the corner), while the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) is... unfortunately too expensive and too familiar-looking to prove a smart buy for a lot of people.
Android Authority
08-05-2025
- Android Authority
Samsung is working on a badly needed battery-extending feature for Galaxy Watches (APK teardown)
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR One UI Watch 8 could introduce a battery protection feature that limits charging to a certain percentage. Currently, Galaxy Watches will stop charging once the battery is full and trickle charge as necessary. This is similar to Pixel Watch's upcoming Adaptive Charging or the Apple Watch's existing Optimized Charging Limit. One common denominator that presents itself with all consumer technology is battery degradation. Over time, a rechargeable battery will gradually lose its ability to store and deliver a charge, resulting in less efficient battery life. We've seen smartphones get a battery charging limit with Android 15, and that evolution may be continuing to wearables, based on evidence we're seeing in Samsung's work on One UI Watch 8. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. We spotted a string of code in One UI Watch 8 (remember, Samsung appears to be skipping One UI Watch 7 entirely) that indicates that Samsung could add a battery protection feature in its next iteration of One UI Watch. With battery protection, it will limit the charging of a Galaxy Watch to a certain percentage. Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority This would be similar to how Apple's Optimized Charging Limit feature works on an Apple Watch. With the charging limit, an Apple Watch would learn the user's charging habits and slow down charging to just 80% when it anticipates being plugged in for an extended period of time, such as overnight. This helps reduce the degradation on the battery and extend its lifespan. Code Copy Text Battery protection Stop charging when the battery level reaches %d%% and start charging again when it drops down to %d%%. According to the code string we see above for the Battery app (version 4.0.00.8), this feature will stop charging once it reaches a certain percentage and start charging when it drops below a specified threshold. Typically, we've seen charging limits set to around 80%, but companies like OnePlus are letting users set custom charging limits, increasing up to 95% in 5% increments Based on the variables Samsung includes in this string, it feels like we may get a similar implementation here. Google is in the process of doing something just like this for the Pixel Watch. In an APK teardown we did earlier this year, we spotted code that showed Google adding Adaptive Charging from the Pixel phones to the Pixel Watch, though this feature has yet to actually be released. We currently do not know when Samsung plans to add battery protection to the Galaxy Watch lineup. We'll keep an eye out for further developments and let you know as soon as we get more details. Regardless, such a feature would be nice to have to extend the battery life as much as possible. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
07-05-2025
- Android Authority
Leak gives us our first look at One UI 8 Watch icons
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority TL;DR Leaked images from Samsung's upcoming One UI Watch 8 update reveal redesigned icons that could shift toward a squircle shape with high-contrast backgrounds. We also spot the Gemini icon, which is set to replace Assistant on Wear OS this year. We've already spoken at length about Samsung's botched One UI 7 update rollout for its phones and tablets. However, Samsung has left its Galaxy Watch users waiting for an update, with no official information about any impending 'One UI 7 Watch' update based on Wear OS 5.1. Leaks recently suggested that Samsung is looking to jump from One UI 6 Watch directly to One UI 8 Watch, and now, we get our first look at some of the new icons coming with the new update. Leaker IposDev on X has shared the new icons coming to Galaxy smartwatches with their upcoming One UI Watch 8 update. From the looks of it, Samsung could be leaning towards squircle icons on its smartwatches. However, a later comment from the leaker says they'll be round in shape on the watches, so we'll have to wait and watch to see what direction Samsung takes. There is also a prominent white background/border across all icons, which should help with contrast, but some users might find it aesthetically unpleasant. The icons are refreshed, but align with what we see on One UI 7. Eagle-eyed readers would have already spotted the Gemini-like icon. Google has already confirmed that Gemini will extend to Wear OS smartwatches, replacing Google Assistant later this year. We've also spotted this new Gemini/Assistant icon for Wear OS watches, and some users have also received the new icon, albeit clicking on it still takes them to Google Assistant and not Gemini. Leaker IposDev has also shared some of the new One UI Watch 8 APKs. These APKs are said not to be installable on older watches, but we intend to dig through them to see what new features we can discover hidden within them. Stay tuned! Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
