While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is enjoying all the success a modern smartphone can hope for, the Galaxy Watch appears in a bit of a rough patch. We’ve recently saw reports of a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro overheating, and now it appears that Samsung may stop OS upgrades for some of its older smartwatches.
Samsung could end releasing major OS upgrades for older Galaxy Watch devices
Samsung is reportedly in the process of reconsidering its whole software update policy. According to a post by Korean leaker kro on X, the company is reviewing whether older Galaxy Watch models should receive major OS upgrades.
While the leaker doesn’t specify which models are categorized as “older,” they say these devices will still continue receiving security updates. In their post, kro also mentioned that the company isn’t addressing longstanding problems with the processors and persistent bugs troubling Galaxy Watch devices, even though it has released major OS upgrades.
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Which Galaxy Watch models could stop receiving OS upgrades?
The Galaxy Watch 5 may or may not get One UI 9.0 Watch. | Image by PhoneArena
The big unknown with this leak is which models could be affected by the potential change. With the launch of the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, Samsung increased its promised software support window to five years of both major OS upgrades and security updates.
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The company’s earlier models offered only four years of OS upgrades, but matched the five-year security updates promise. This policy was first introduced with the Galaxy Watch 4, and it held until the Galaxy Watch 8. That’s also why the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic got their last security updates last month, over five years after their premiere.
If Samsung were to change its current policy, this could impact the Galaxy Watch 5. This model hasn’t received the One UI 9.0 Watch beta based on Wear OS 7, even though it’s supposed to get the software upgrade. However, this model has reportedly been in internal testing, so there could be an update for it after all. The Galaxy Watch 6 series has already gotten the One UI 9.0 Watch beta, so if there’s a change with it, it may hit next year.
Such a change would just pile on the growing number of user reports for various issues with different Galaxy Watch models. Some users on Reddit have expressed their frustration with the bugs, while others have been complaining about overheating, and features that just don’t work.
A change is necessary
While the details may be wrong, I believe that the best thing Samsung can do is reconsider how it handles software updates. I know I may sound like a broken record, but Apple just launches its updates for all supported devices at once, and things usually work out without major issues. Meanwhile, Samsung is still running beta tests for One UI 9.0 Watch, which launched on its latest watches over two months ago.
I’d love to see Samsung acting more like Apple when it comes to software updates, not only with the Galaxy Watch but with all its devices.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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