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New Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 update brings handy diagnostics tool and One UI 5.1 confirmation

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By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Jan 16, 2023, 10:43 AM

New Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 update brings handy diagnostics tool and One UI 5.1 confirmation

Commercially released less than five months ago, Samsung's Wear OS-powered Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro have already impressively received a couple of (minor) software updates with cool new watch faces, stability improvements, and security patches in tow.

According to a few happy users on Reddit and the official Samsung Community webpages, yet another such rollout is now taking place, and although we wouldn't exactly call it massive, this latest update does include a couple of interesting new features... and an unexpected confirmation of a separate looming update for a whole bunch of different Galaxy phones.

That's quite a lot to unpack for something that's not usually a big deal, but Samsung did us a favor a few days ago by previewing the Camera Controller functionality included here. This is set to roll out to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic soon in addition to the Watch 5 duo, although it will apparently only work in conjunction with a handset running "at least" One UI 5.1. Wait, what?

That's right, One UI 5.1 is technically not a thing yet, even though it might seem that way after several juicy leaks in the last few weeks. You can consider this Samsung's (presumably unintentional) corroboration of those leaks, and perfectly in line with said leaks, it appears that the Galaxy S20 series will be the oldest phones to support this next Android 13-based One UI iteration.

Alongside the S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra, One UI 5.1 should also make its way to the original Galaxy Z Flip at some point in the near future, as well as all younger "flagship models."

That obviously means you won't be able to "remotely" change your phone camera zoom using the Galaxy Watch 5 or Watch 5 Pro after installing this latest update, leaving you (for the time being) with another cool new feature to try out.

This is called "Connected device diagnostics", which is not a very catchy name but it explains what the tool does pretty well, allowing you to "check the proper performance of the Galaxy Watch's battery status, touch screen function" and other such components on a connected phone.

Sounds like something that could definitely prove useful if you suspect anything might be wrong with your hot new smartwatch, unlike the generic "stability improvements" that very rarely amount to something users can actually notice out in the real world and experience for themselves.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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