Latest news with #OneUIWatch8
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.
