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Samsung One UI Watch is here and it'll power the next Galaxy Watch

By Joshua Swingle

Updated: Jun 28, 2021, 12:43 PM

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Samsung One UI Watch is here and it'll power the next Galaxy Watch

Almost two months after Samsung and Google announced their combined Wear platform for smartwatches, Samsung is back with the custom software experience that’ll be used on all future Galaxy Watch models — One UI Watch.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watches and phones will connect seamlessly

The One UI Watch interface aims to better connect the software experience that Samsung offers across smartphones and smartwatches by opening access to even more apps and simplifying tasks.

An example of this includes Samsung’s approach to downloading apps. With One UI Watch, watch-compatible apps will automatically be added to the Galaxy Watch when a user downloads the main app on their smartphone.

Smaller software tweaks like a unified clock experience across Galaxy smartphones and Galaxy Watches are central to the Wear-backed update and demonstrate Samsung’s attention to detail.

If you’ve set your phone’s Clock app to show the time in London and Los Angeles, those times will automatically be displayed whenever you open the Clock app on your One UI Watch-powered wearable.

Another feature enabled by Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch software is sync support for contact blocking. In other words, if you block a call or message on your watch, the contact will automatically be blocked on your phone too.

Visually, One UI Watch is designed to be as familiar as possible. It retains many of the visual elements used by the regular One UI software and the Settings watch app closely resembles the one you’d find on a Galaxy phone.

Expect access to more apps and watch faces than ever before

While Samsung’s Tizen operating system has served it well over the years, there have often been complaints from customers about the lack of third-party apps available on the platform.

Google and Samsung’s combined Wear platform solves that problem with the introduction of Play Store support. You’ll be able to use apps like Spotify or YouTube Music, Strava or Adidas Running, Calm or Sleep Cycle, and even Google Maps.

In addition to apps, the South Korean giant is hoping developers will create tons of new watch faces for One UI Watch. It’s announced the introduction of an improved watch face design tool that’ll make it easier than ever to create one.

If that wasn’t enough, Samsung has reiterated its promise of better battery life and improved performance on future One UI Watch-powered smartwatches.

Samsung One UI Watch release date and Galaxy Watch compatibility

Both One UI Watch and the new, unified Wear software platform will “debut at the Unpacked event later this summer” on the new Galaxy Watch — expected to be the Galaxy Watch 4 that leaked recently.

The bad news for existing Galaxy Watch users is that Samsung won’t be bringing the update to Tizen-powered models. Instead, Samsung has promised to offer at least three years of Tizen software support.

In summary, if you want access to One UI Watch and Google’s Play Store, you’re going to have to purchase one of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Watch models when they hit shelves later this quarter.