Galaxy Watch
The limits of Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 with non-Samsung smartphones
In terms of Smartwatches, Samsung has a wide lineup of its Galaxy Watch series. These Galaxy Watches offer an enormous amount of features, which can be used only when paired with a compatible smartphone device. However, non-Samsung smartphone users always wonder whether they can use these Watches with their phones or not. So, the answer is “Yes, but with some limitations”.
The Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 are Samsung’s latest offerings in the smartwatch market, boasting advanced features and powerful hardware. However, these devices come with some limitations when used with non-Samsung smartphones. Today, we are focusing on the WearOS booted Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, in particular, what are the limitations of using them with a non-Samsung smartphone. Notably, before knowing the limitations, we must know the requirements to find out which non-Samsung devices are able to pair with the above-mentioned Galaxy Watches. The respective information can be found below.
Requirements for using Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4
To pair the Galaxy Watch 4 with a smartphone, it should have an Android 6.0 or a later version, and to pair the Galaxy Watch 5, it must have Android 8.0 or a later version, no matter if it is a Galaxy phone or a non-Samsung smartphone. Along with it, the device should also be able to use Google Services in it. Additionally, the Galaxy Watch 5 also requires the smartphone should have at least 1.5GB of RAM.
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Nota bene, the Galaxy Watches before the Watch 4 can be paired with iOS phones as well, but from the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung has removed this ability.
Limits of using Galaxy Watches in a non-Samsung phone
Indeed, the Galaxy Watches (particularly the Watch 4 and Watch 5) can be used with a compatible non-Samsung smartphone, but still, it shortens the usability and limits the services/features of the respective phones. These do have a lineup of features that can be accessed with a Galaxy phone pairing only. The services of Galaxy Watches that you can’t use in a non-Samsung phone are mentioned below.
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Notably, a user can not use the Samsung Pay services on the Galaxy Watch if it isn’t paired with a Galaxy smartphone. Apart from this, some health tracking features are also available in the Galaxy Watch, which requires the Samsung Health Tracker app to access them; hence, a non-Samsung smartphone can not use them because of lacking Samsung’s Health Tracker application.
How to use Galaxy Watch with a non-Samsung smartphone?
To pair the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 5, first, you must check if your device is compatible or not. If yes, then first pair the phone with the Galaxy Watch through Bluetooth. Afterward, connect it with the Galaxy Wearable app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. After the successful connection, you can activate the Google Assistant service.
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.
With the revelation of the financial revenue statistics in Q1 2024, Samsung has confirmed that the brand is going to up its ante again by significantly improving the wearables sales, unveiling new devices along with certain prominent aspects like the Galaxy Ring, while also officially claiming to launch some more advanced premium Galaxy Watch lineups.
Samsung wishes to offer a more advanced yet premium experience to its Galaxy Watch users:
With the latest announcement, Samsung significantly aims to offer a highly interactive yet advanced wearable experience to its users and plans on powering the Galaxy smartwatch ecosystem by introducing the most significant Galaxy watch models that should include certain essential aspects, like the Galaxy Ring.
Is the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra Next Variant part of the Galaxy Watch 7 line-up?
Moreover, the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra variant could feature the next Galaxy smartwatch lineup, the Galaxy Watch 7, which might sport a square-shaped display screen rather than a circular display. Meanwhile, reports further revealed that the upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 might have 32GB of internal storage; the smartwatch could be powered by a 3nm Exynos chip; a square-shaped screen; an elegant look; and a premium finish would rather give a serious rivalry to the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Samsung clearly stated that the brand is significantly focused on spreading a more advanced Galaxy smartwatch ecosystem for its Galaxy watch users by introducing a premium Galaxy Watch lineup that could feature some impressive features and aspects that would significantly offer a better yet premium experience to the users.