What you need to know
- The Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 are set to receive the new One UI 5 Watch update later this year.
- The update will include improved sleep tracking, personalized heart rate zones, and updated safety features.
- More features will be announced at a later date.
- Galaxy Watch owners in the United States and Korea can sign up for the One UI 5 Watch beta in May.
Samsung's next major Galaxy Watch update won't arrive until later this year, but the company is already providing a glimpse of some of the features we can expect when it arrives. The company's Wear OS-toting Galaxy Watches are set to gain a handful of new capabilities to help improve sleep and fitness tracking while also updating the safety features.
To improve sleep tracking, One UI 5 Watch is gaining a new Sleep Insights UI That focuses more on your sleep score. The UI switches how it displays the length of time you slept and your sleep score, so the latter is more prominently featured. The UI will also display your sleep animal, which is determined based on sleep patterns for users that use the sleep coaching feature, which will be fully accessible directly from the Galaxy Watch.
Additionally, Galaxy Watches will help further cut down on distractions by utilizing the infrared sensor instead of the often very bright green LED when they detect you're falling asleep.
For fitness, Samsung understands that users have different levels of physical ability and will now analyze this to provide personalized workout intensity levels. This could benefit runners by helping them reach their optimal heart rate zones to get in a good workout.
Route Workout expands to include running and walking, and Samsung is also highlighting direct access to the GPX File Database for Galaxy Watch 5 Pro users from the Samsung Health app, which can recommend routes.
Lastly, One UI 5 Watch updates safety features like SOS, which will relay your information to emergency services and automatically display your medical information. Fall detection will also be automatically enabled for users aged 55 and older.
These features and more will be available later this year with the One UI 5 Watch update. Samsung didn't say when exactly the update would arrive, but it seems the company may announce additional features soon. Until then, the One UI 5 Watch beta will be available in the United States and Korea this month for users interested in trying out the features. Sign-up will be available via the Samsung Members app.
The Galaxy Watch 5 is the perfect smartwatch for Galaxy smartphone owners, thanks to its fantastic design, great features set, and good battery life. It's also a great smartwatch for fitness enthusiasts who like to stay on top of their performance.
