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The Galaxy Watch 4 brought a much-needed software refresh to Samsung’s wearable game. Along with the sleek and stylish design, this smartwatch was the first one to sport Wear OS 3 out of the box, departing from Samsung’s own Tizen OS.
Now, two months later, the company is rolling out the first big software update to the Galaxy Watch 4 family, and it has some cool new features on board. According to SamMobile, Samsung is already gradually distributing the new firmware version R8xxXXU1DUJA in South Korea for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. The update should reach other regions in the following weeks.
Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic new features
For starters, the new update brings some fresh new watch faces to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. There’s one welcome change, concerning watch faces, too. With this new firmware, Samsung has made it possible for users to select a GIF image as a My Photo+ watch face.
This change should result in much more lively and animated watch faces. Oh, and by the way, there are new animations added to some of the watch faces, too.
Gesture support has been updated with the option to launch apps and features using gestures. In the previous version, gestures were used only to receive or reject calls, or deal with alarms.
There are some changes in the fall-detection feature, baked into the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. This feature uses the accelerometer to detect falls, and after a 60-second soundcheck (that you can disable if you’re okay), the watch will automatically send an SOS message to the listed emergency contacts, along with a location pin.
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With the new firmware update, Samsung has made it possible to adjust the sensitivity of the feature, in order to prevent false activation when you do dynamic physical activities such as jumping, running, doing burpees, etc.
There are some minor improvements in the heart rate and stress tracking algorithms, too, making all the features that use these algorithms a tad more accurate.
How to set up fall detection on Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 4 Classic
The first step is to open the Galaxy Wearable app on your connected smartphone.
Then go to Watch Settings > Advanced Features > SOS.
You’ll need to give some additional permissions for the SOS feature to work as it should.
When you reach the SOS option screen, enable the hard fall detection from the toggle.
The watch then checks if you have an emergency contact added, and will ask you to choose one from your contact list or add one manually.
The feature is now active.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 deals
The Galaxy Watch 4 was a nice surprise when it was first officially announced, mainly because of its affordable price. Now, there are even better deals out there, just a few months after the official release of the Watch 4 lineup.
Samsung is running a big trade-in promotion and you can get the Galaxy Watch 4 for as little as $134 with an eligible trade-in for the 40mm option. You can get the Classic version for less than $300, too - both the 42mm and 44mm models are available and eligible for the trade-in promotion. You can also check out our dedicated Galaxy Watch 4 deals and where to buy to get the full picture.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm)
Cellular model w/ $40 instant discount and extra band
$259
99
$299
99
Expired
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (46mm)
46MM Cellular model of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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