Galaxy Watch
WearOS 4 Features: New apps and updates coming to Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5
Samsung is always ahead in bringing new features to its devices. Thanks to One UI, which is its original skin that comes up with every new OS update, smartphones and tablets, it’s based on Android OS, and currently, they have received One UI 5.1 based on Android 13. While for the Galaxy Watches, there is Wear OS, and Samsung has skin based One UI watch.
WearOS 4 Features For Galaxy Watches
For better customizability, Google has collaborated with Samsung and will work on Wear OS 4; as per information, the latest Wear OS will come with some new features, including custom faces, so users can easily make changes to watch faces. Apart from this, it will also bring support for Google Home, Gmail, and Google Calendar are among the apps that will be accessible. With the latest Google Home app for smartwatches, users can manage who rang the Nest doorbell directly from notifications, remotely unlock the door, and accomplish other tasks from their watch. All these functionalities will come with One UI 5 watch for Galaxy Watches.
Thanks to the smartwatch apps in Gmail and Calendar, Google will offer users the ability to quickly respond to emails and check their commitments using only the smartwatch.
In the next few weeks, WhatsApp is set to unveil its first smartwatch application on WearOS, joining the ranks of the Big G apps. This app will provide users with the convenience of initiating a new conversation, responding to messages using voice commands, and answering calls directly from the watch, all without having to use their smartphone.
Soon the Spotify and Peloton applications will also arrive, thanks to which you will be able to listen to your favorite music or podcasts directly from the clock while maybe keeping track of your workout.
Samsung Galaxy Watches will get atrial fibrillation detection ability
Additionally, there will be some more useful features available for smartwatches, such as users can easily connect their smartwatches to a new phone without resetting it. Users have been waiting for a long time for this feature on their watches; now, Wear OS will be available for all devices.
Wear OS 4-based One UI 5 watch beta for Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5
Samsung has two Galaxy watches which are eligible for Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5. As per the information, Samsung will soon push a new beta update for its Galaxy watches; it is expected to be available for users in the US and Korea before the month’s end. It is also noticeable that Samsung will also introduce a new generation watch as Galaxy Watch 6, this year.
Samsung is actively working on expanding the Galaxy Watch’s functionalities for users’ convenience. The company has filed a US patent for continuous atrial fibrillation detection through PPG ECG signal translation.
Many smartwatches available on the market perform atrial fibrillation (AFib) spot checks using an ECG sensor, but unfortunately, continuous AFib data is impossible without a medical monitor. A week ago, Samsung patented a plan to convert that for the forthcoming Galaxy Watch 7 by employing a generative AI model.
Initially spotted by Wareable, the US patent “System and method for continuous atrial fibrillation detection via PPG to ECG signal translation” would “translate PPG signals to corresponding ECG waveforms.”
Samsung got FDA consent for the passive detection of irregular heart rhythms. Samsung, such as Fitbit, Apple, and Withings, can use their watches to monitor irregular heart rhythms. Although this is not a diagnosis tool, It is only capable of suggesting a potential issue and requires confirmation with a proper ECG reading.
Samsung’s patented PPG-to-ECG mechanism would offer more definitive data at all times, making it more possible to catch the lead-up to serious heart conditions such as arrhythmia and heart failure. The patent describes that “conventional models” can only count on “long-term relationships” between PPG heart rhythm data and possible ECG results. Along with its GenAI models, Samsung assures that it will create a “first-order Markov relationship” between them for better accuracy.
Samsung’s patent confesses that by using generative AI, “fake information may be introduced, which affects an AFib detection result.” The giant decided to solve this by “incorporating prior knowledge in terms of probabilistic graphical models” so that it is “robust to noise,” also known as irrelevant or misleading details.
The generative AI plan of Samsung might make heart health data available to Google since it typically relies on Gemini AI.
The Korean brand ‘Samsung’ introduces smartwatches along with the software gap between promise and premium! Now, deep down, it is gearing up to expand its smart wearable family by introducing a brand new Galaxy Smartwatch lineup within the next few months.
Galaxy smartwatch enthusiasts, the giants are cooking something new for you all, as Samsung is expected to release a new Galaxy Watch lineup or at least one in the upcoming weeks. However, a premium smartwatch model might not be the answer to each query that’s holding Galaxy Watches back.
It’s possible that a premium smartwatch with a more polished design could be a blessing or a curse for the Korean giants. Samsung Galaxy Watches, such as non-classic ones, can look like playthings, whereas the software also doesn’t give an experience like a high-end One UI, which it should.
One UI Watch performance appears unexciting, and the UI can sometimes falter or even lag extremely, especially after reconnecting to a mobile device. Even after spending a lot, in the end, somehow you realize that almost every UI element and widget often feels and doesn’t look ready to use or release. Most of the things appear to be in the early access phase. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of the old Android phone experience.
Now it is expected that Samsung’s forthcoming premium Galaxy Watch could solve the external design issue and make smartwatches a bit more appealing and less playful. Also, a more premium smartwatch paired with not-so-premium software will likely accentuate the undercooked One UI/Wear OS experience.
Somewhere, premium Samsung Galaxy smartwatches have software issues such as limited applications, watch faces, and a clumsy UI holding back Galaxy watches. A premium design would only be enough until the brand improved the software experience to feel as smooth and integrated as their smartphones.
Apart from this, the Galaxy Watch 7series is next in line, which should debut at the Galaxy Unpacked event in July. It is also expected that Samsung will release a new rectangular-shaped smartwatch by the end of this year.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 series is running on Wear OS 4 onboard; now, to add a major layer of upgrade, the brand is gearing up to deliver a new update in the form of Wear OS 5.
Wear OS 5 for Galaxy Watches is under processing
The Korean giant has already started developing a new firmware version for the Galaxy Watch 6, which appears as R965USQU1BXD8. A tipster has revealed that Samsung is working on a new firmware version for the carrier-locked Galaxy Watch 6 smartwatch for the US market, leading to speculation.
This new firmware version indicates a major One UI version change, and it could be One UI Watch 6 based on Wear OS 5. On the other hand, Google has already revealed via @MatthewReiter05 that it will disclose Wear OS 5 and its features at the forthcoming Google I/O 2024 event on May 14, 2024.
A couple of months after the announcement, Wear OS 5 will probably be available in stable form, and Samsung could soon release a stable One UI Watch 6 based on that platform. However, it’s yet to be clear what new features and UI design improvements Google plans to bring with the Wear OS 5 update. It is expected to improve integration with Android-based smartphones, tablets, and TVs.