What you need to know
- A new leak previews the upcoming UI changes with Wear OS 3.5 and One UI Watch 4.5.
- The leaked images show off new accessibility customization options, visibility improvements, and interaction adjustments.
- The upcoming update to Wear OS / One UI is also expected to include dual-SIM support.
Wear OS 3 has yet to make its way to eligible smartwatch brands other than Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 series and the Montblanc Summit 3, but Samsung is already beta testing One UI Watch 4.5 based on Wear OS 3.5. A new set of leaked images gives us our best look yet at the upcoming UI refresh.
A slew of images, courtesy of frequent leaker Evan Blass, provide a preview of several UI updates that will be included with Wear OS 3.5 and One UI Watch 4.5. According to Blass, these images are official, implying that we are looking at final versions of the upcoming UI improvements.
The leak reveals new watch faces, a new keyboard interface, and accessibility improvements. There's also a new QWERTY keyboard layout, which was first seen on Samsung's keyboard app as part of One UI Watch 4.5 Beta earlier this month. It's a highly requested feature that will likely arrive on many of the best Android smartwatches in the future to keep pace with Apple's Watch line.
You'll also notice a new option for adjusting earbud audio channel settings. Wear OS 3.5 appears to include the ability to set touch and hold delay as well as adjust tap duration for customized navigation.
There's also an option to choose which SIM card to use when making a call, assuming your phone supports multiple SIM cards, as well as new accessibility features like color correction options.
Samsung seems to be working on the TalkBack feature for the upcoming One UI update. Blass shared an image depicting how a double-press of the action button activates the feature on any screen.
You can sift through the gallery below to take a peek at several UI updates you can expect to find in Wear OS 3.5 and One UI Watch 4.5.
There's no doubt that Wear OS 3.5 will power a slew of wearables due out this year, including the upcoming Galaxy Watch 5. That said, it remains unclear when Wear OS 3 makes it to the watches that were promised to get that treatment.
