Samsung Announces One UI 8 Watch Beta for Galaxy Watches

Samsung has finally announced its One UI 8 Watch beta program for its smartwatches. As part of Wear OS 6, the new wearable software will roll out to select Galaxy Watch models in South Korea and the United States. On top of that, the Korean firm introduced a suite of new features focused on sleep, heart health, fitness, and nutrition.

One UI 8 Watch beta for Galaxy Watches is finally here

A few weeks ago, Samsung launched the One UI 8 beta for the Galaxy S25 series in select countries. Now, the company is expanding its beta program to include wearables with the launch of One UI 8 Watch. Unfortunately, not all Galaxy Watch owners are eligible to join the beta program. Samsung says that only the Galaxy Watch 5 series and later are eligible to participate. This means the eligible models include Galaxy Watch 5, Watch 5 Pro, Watch 6, Watch 6 Classic, Watch 7, and Watch Ultra.

Note that Samsung has yet to roll out the beta, so you might have to wait a few more days to get a taste of the latest wearable update. Additionally, having an eligible smartwatch is not enough — you must also reside in one of the eligible countries, which currently include South Korea and the United States. However, we can expect Samsung to expand the list of eligible countries, just as it did with the recent release of the One UI 8 Beta 2.

Speaking of new features, Samsung has introduced four main ones: Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index. The company says, “The goal of these new features is to help build healthier daily habits, which can be challenging as they don’t develop overnight.”

The Galaxy Watch 4 series may not receive the next major update

However, what’s surprising is that Samsung did not include the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic in the beta program. The company had promised to provide up to four years of updates for the Galaxy Watch 4 and newer models. Since the Watch 4 series was launched in August 2021, support should continue until August 2025, making One UI 8 Watch the last major update.

We will likely learn more about the Galaxy Watch 4’s inclusion when Samsung launches the stable version of One UI 8 Watch. Samsung may ship the upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 series with One UI 8 Watch out of the box. Hopefully, the Galaxy Watch 4 series will be included in the stable rollout.