Samsung
One UI 6 Watch Beta with Wear OS 5 available for Samsung smartwatches [List]
Samsung will officially launch the Wear OS 5-based One UI 6 Watch next month. Meanwhile, several Samsung smartwatches are eligible for the Beta program of One UI 6 Watch. However, the company is running the Beta activity in the US and South Korea.
Wear OS 5-based One UI 6 Watch will go official with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 next month. We guess the Stable rollout to older smartwatch models may begin in August. The new operating system also packs artificial intelligence-derived features with Galaxy AI.
Initially, the company started the One UI 6 Watch Beta for Galaxy Watch 6 series. After releasing the first and second Beta, the brand has expanded the Beta program to two more lineups. The US and Korean residents can now join the Beta on Watch 6, Watch 5, and Watch 4 series.
How to participate in the One UI Watch Beta Program?
To participate in the One UI Watch Beta Program, you must register through the Samsung Members app on your device:
- In the Samsung Members app, log in with your Samsung Account. If you do not have a Samsung Account, create an account on the Samsung Account site.
- Once logged in the Samsung Members app, select “Notices > Registration for One UI Watch Beta Program”.
- Complete and submit the application form. If you meet the participation criteria, you will be enrolled in the One UI Watch Beta Program.
- Once done, you will get update notifications at the start of Beta Program.
- To install the Beta software, on your device, select “Settings > Software update > Download and install”.
One UI 6 Watch Beta with Wear OS 5 is available
– Galaxy Watch 6
– Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
– Galaxy Watch 5
– Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
– Galaxy Watch 4
– Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
Samsung One UI 6 Watch Changelog
Unlock a healthier you with Galaxy AI
Monitor your energy levels
- Samsung Health’s new energy score shows your physical and mental readiness based on you sleep and physical activity. If your energy score is low, it may be best to take a rest. If your energy score is high, it could be time set a personal best in your favorite exercise. Galaxy AI provides personalized insights and motivation to keep you on the right track.
Get more detailed sleep analysis
- Galaxy AI-powered sleep insights give you more detailed and accurate analysis of your sleep quality. Your comprehensive sleep report now includes your heart rate, respiratory rate, and the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep after you lie down.
Make your own workout routines
- Combine a series of different exercises together for a custom workout routine. You can set targets for sets, reps, and more.
Control your watch like a pro
Do more with double pinch
- Take quick action in a variety of situations by pinching your thumb and index finger together twice. You can answer calls, turn off alarms, scroll through notifications, control music, take pictures, and more. A finger icon will appear on buttons that can be controlled with a double pinch.
Faster horizontal scrolling
- Flick the screen left or right or to quickly scroll through notifications or tiles.
View ongoing activities all at once
- Tap the bottom of your watch face to view a list of ongoing activities such as phone calls, exercises, or music playing. Tap an item in the list to easily switch between them.
Take action quickly with Universal gestures
- In situations where a quick action is needed, such as answering a phone call or turning off an alarm, the button for the action will be automatically focused so you can do the action immediately without the need to manually change focus.
Go back without touching the screen
- Move your wrist back and forth to go back to the previous screen. You can control this in Universal gestures.
Get only the notifications you want
- Choose which apps are allowed to send you notifications directly on your watch without opening the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone.
Control your watch with modes
- Modes can now automatically control more of your watch’s settings based on what you’re doing or where you are. Modes can control Do not disturb, Always On Display, Raise wrist to wake, Touch screen to wake, Touch bezel to wake, Sound mode, and Disconnection alerts.
Stay in touch from your wrist
Instantly access your favorite emojis
- You can set the emojis you use most as favorites so they’re always available to send as a quick response.
Save image attachments
- You can now save images attached to messages on your watch. Saved images can be viewed in the Gallery app, shared with others, or used to create a unique photo watch face.
Even more improvements
Stylish new font
- One UI 6 Watch has a new default font with a more stylish and modern feel. You’ll see the new font if the default font is selected in Settings. If you’re using a different font, you’ll still see that font after upgrading to One UI 6 Watch.
Make your battery last longer
- When Power saving is turned on, you can also choose to limit health features to make your battery last even longer than before.
Automatically connect to Bluetooth audio devices
- When you start playing music on your watch, your Bluetooth headphones or speaker will automatically connect for playback. If no Bluetooth audio devices are available to connect, music will play through your watch’s speaker if your music app supports it.
Samsung has improved its Mobile Security Rewards Program by increasing the maximum reward amount to $1 million for security vulnerability reports from outside security experts. This change aims to encourage more collaboration and openness in mobile security, showing Samsung’s goal of keeping user data safe.
Since its launch in 2017, the program has introduced a new system for classifying security risks with Samsung Mobile Security Risk Classification. This system now offers clearer details about different types of vulnerabilities
Moreover, it includes new factors like the ability to lower a threat’s severity and a classification for threats considered to be minimal risks. Vulnerabilities are grouped into five levels – Critical, High, Moderate, Low, and Ineligible, which helps security researchers understand how serious each threat is.
The program applies to all Samsung mobile devices that receive monthly, quarterly, and biannual security updates. It also rewards reports of potential security issues in the latest Samsung Galaxy services, such as Bixby, Samsung Account, and Samsung Wallet, among others.
Samsung also commits to providing up to seven years of security updates for its mobile devices. The updated rewards program includes a special initiative called the Important Scenario Vulnerability Program, which addresses serious security issues, such as unauthorized access to data and harmful code execution.
In August 2024, Samsung released its first Annual Rewards Program Report to highlight its success since the program began. In 2023 alone, Samsung awarded over $800,000 to 113 researchers, with total payouts exceeding $4 million. This Mobile Security Rewards Program is effective immediately.
On November 19, Google dropped the Android 16 Developer Preview. It’s a very initial development stage of the new Android version. Samsung Galaxy devices may receive the new Android 16-based One UI (8) update in the second half of 2025.
Dozens of Samsung Galaxy devices are eligible for the Android 16 update. Galaxy smartphone users are currently waiting for the One UI 7 Beta Program to kick off. It will bring Android 15 to Samsung smartphones and tablets.
Samsung’s running way too late this year. It hasn’t yet started the new software’s beta testing. The public rollout is slated to be started early next year. Meanwhile, Google is shifting gears to streamline Android’s adoption across vendors.
In recent years, Samsung has significantly improved its software support. The majority of new phones come with at least six years of OS update support. The policy peaks up to 7 years on flagship devices starting the Galaxy S24 series.
Determining the Android 16’s eligibility for Galaxy isn’t a pretty difficult task. You will surely receive the update if your device is shipped with Android 14. It’s for entry-level phones, while for most there’s no concern for mid-range and flagships.
Samsung Android 16 Eligible Device List
Galaxy S Smartphones:
- Galaxy S22 Series
- Galaxy S23 Series
- Galaxy S24 Series
Galaxy Z Fold and Flip Phones:
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6
Galaxy S FE Phones:
- Galaxy S21 FE
- Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy S24 FE
Galaxy A Phones:
- Galaxy A33, A53 and A73
- Galaxy A14, A24, A34 and A54
- Galaxy A15, A25, A35 and A55
- Galaxy A06, A16
Galaxy Tab Tablets:
- Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra
Note: This is not a final device list nor shared by Samsung. Based on the official software support promise, the above-listed Samsung phones and tablets will surely receive a major OS upgrade in the second half of 2025.
The listing of the S21 FE may have caught your attention due to missing the missing S21 series. For those shocking, the S21 series and S21 FE are eligible for four OS upgrades. The S21 FE launched with Android 12, while the S21 series with Android 11.
Android 16 is the thing of next year, we eagerly await the One UI 7 Beta along with covering the latest insights. The official rollout will commence after unveiling at the Galaxy Unpacked next year, which could fall in late January.
Samsung has released the November 2024 update for the Galaxy S24 FE, which brings a new Auto Blocker feature. This update is currently rolling out in the US and will be available to more users soon.
The advanced Auto Blocker feature for Samsung Galaxy S24 FE helps improve your device’s security by blocking USB devices from connecting to your phone when Maximum Restrictions mode is enabled.
In the Maximum Restrictions mode, only charging is allowed through USB connections. This means other devices, like a computer or another phone, won’t be able to access your data if they try to connect via USB.
The extra layer of protection is useful for users who need stronger security, preventing unauthorized access to your data if someone physically connects to your phone.
Along with the new feature, the update also includes general improvements to system security and stability, making your Galaxy S24 FE more reliable and safer to use.
To get the update, Samsung Galaxy S24 FE users should look for the One UI build version S721USQS3AXK3, which is around 400MB in size. To install it, just go to Settings, tap on Software Update, and select Download and Install.
If you’ve received the update, it’s recommended to install it to benefit from the new features, enhanced security along new Auto Blocker support.
Samsung One UI 7 will provide extra security with advanced Auto Blocker feature