Fossil Gen 5 Wear OS update rolling out again after earlier pause

Fossil Gen 5
Fossil Gen 5 (Image credit: Joe Maring / Android Central)

Update, April 30 (5:00 pm ET): The update is rolling out again!

What you need to know

  • Fossil is pausing its rollout of Google's H MR2 update for Wear OS.
  • The company addresses some issues with the update and has not specified when it will resume rolling out to devices.
  • Google's H MR2 update was released last year to provide speed and battery improvements to the platform.

Google surprised many when it rolled out an update for Wear OS, aiming to improve the performance of its smartwatch platform. The update, dubbed H-MR2, brought some under-the-hood improvements to make Wear OS faster and more battery efficient. The Suunto 7 received the update first, followed by the Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch, but apparently, Fossil is having some issues and has paused the rollout.

According to a Fossil representative on Reddit, the company is working out some issues with the update, which is why some users have yet to receive the update:

We are indeed holding the system updates for Gen 5 as we're trying to iron out some issues. We're getting closer to the release date now (though I cannot confirm here), and I'll definitely let you know when it starts rolling out. Thank you for your kind patience so far! Looking forward to bringing back the perks of Gen 5 to you soon.

The cause of the hold is unknown, but users that have already received the update do not seem to have any problems with their smartwatches. This also does not seem to affect Fossil's own software update which was rolled out last year to the Gen 5 as well as the Gen 5E which is arguably the company's best Wear OS watch. That update also brought some new features as well as improvements to battery life.

Hopefully, the issues get ironed out sooner rather than later so more people can take advantage of the latest Wear OS improvements, particularly owners of the Fossil Gen 5 LTE, which has not received either update.

Update, April 30 (05:00 pm ET) — Fossil is now updating the Gen 5 once more

Fossil has restarted the Gen 5 update once more. Users over on reddit have reported an update that rolled out this week, hitting even devices which had received the previous buggy build. If it hasn't yet shown up on your device, we can walk you through how to check for updates on Wear OS.

Derrek Lee
Managing Editor

Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out.

Read more
Updating the Pixel Watch 2
Wear OS 5.1 seems to be dragging down several Pixel Watch users with multiple bugs
Changing a watch face on the Google Pixel Watch 3
All LTE Pixel Watches finally begin receiving Google's Wear OS 5.1 update
"Your watch is up to date: Android Version: 14; Android security update: November 5, 2024" on the Google Pixel Watch 3 held in the author's hand.
Wear OS 5: New features, One UI 6 Watch, & eligible watches
A OnePlus Watch 3 with a fitness watch face on a pair of workout shoes
OnePlus set an interesting standard with Watch 3 and Wear OS 5
Downloading an update on the Pixel Watch
Wear OS 5.1 represents a new class of slow, substantial Pixel Watch updates
Close-up view of the Fitbit Charge 6
Fitbit drops a QoL update for the Charge 6 and a pair of smartwatches
Latest in Wearables
A lifestyle image showing off a prototype pair of smart glasses powered by Android XR
Samsung could be launching its smart glasses this year, giving Meta a tough fight
Updating the Pixel Watch 2
Wear OS 5.1 seems to be dragging down several Pixel Watch users with multiple bugs
The Garmin Fenix 8 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, both showing Run activity start screens.
Force Apple to make its Watch less exclusive, and the entire smartwatch industry changes
Android figures
Wear OS will eventually gobble up the market share, but watchOS will keep most of the profit
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
Amazon's Big Spring Sale just started and the Galaxy Watch Ultra has ALREADY crashed to a record low price
A photo of the Google Pixel Watch 3 showing thick black bars over the display, indicating that the display uses PWM dimming.
Watch this! Amazon chops 17% OFF our favorite smartwatch during the Big Spring Sale
Latest in News
Top Charts in the Play Store on the Galaxy S25 Ultra
Google Play Store will get more tools to protect users from scammy apps
Google Gemini Image Query on Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Gemini could soon allow you to upload multiple images in a single prompt
Google Maps on Android Auto
Gemini could soon replace Google Assistant in Android Auto 14.0
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 on cobblestone road
One UI 7 Beta 3 for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Fold 6 brings two notable AI additions
Gemini 2.5 Pro graphics and benchmark results.
Gemini 2.5 Pro is Google's latest AI model with thinking and multimodality built-in
Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Nothing OS 3.1 update lets Phone 3a, 3a Pro users snap and save to Essential Spaces