Galaxy Watch 6 Really is Getting One UI 6 Watch Finally

A little over a week ago, we told you that the Galaxy Watch 6 series was set to receive Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch. While Samsung had announced the rollout as happening then, it didn’t start in the US immediately. Instead, the update is rolling out this week and you should be on the lookout for it if you haven’t pulled it already.

As of yesterday, both Samsung’s update tracker and Verizon’s device changelogs list updates as available from November 25. The update, again, is Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch that first launched on the Galaxy Watch 7 series several months ago. Why the delay – we have no idea, but Samsung is having a rough go of software updates this year.

For those with Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic units, here are the builds to be on the lookout for:

• Galaxy Watch 6 (WiFi): R930XXU1BXJ5 (40mm) / R940XXU1BXJ5 (44mm)
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (WiFi): R950XXU1BXJ5 (43mm) / R960XXU1BXJ5
• Galaxy Watch 6 (LTE): R935USQU1BXJ5 (40mm) / R945USQU1BXJ5 (44mm)
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (LTE): R955USQU1BXJ5 (43mm) / R965USQU1BXJ5 (47mm)

What’s new in One UI 6 Watch and Wear OS 5 on the Galaxy Watch series? There’s quite a bit, all of which you’ll find below.

One UI 6 Watch Upgrade

A new look for your watch

Discover new watch faces
Express your individual style with these new premium watch faces. Spatial Number provides an analog clock on top of large bold digits. Simple Digital is for people who prefer a minimalist design. Ultra Info Board lets you quickly check your workout information. You can find these watch faces in the new featured watch faces section of the Galaxy Wearable app. You can also browse watch faces by keyword including colors, styles, and complications.

One UI visual enhancements
Watch components such as buttons and toggles have been redesigned for greater consistency with One UI components on your Galaxy phone. You also get a new default font with a more stylish and modern feel. You’ll see the new font if the default font is selected in Settings. If you’re using a different font, you’ll still see that font after upgrading to One UI 6 Watch.

Enhanced tile graphics
The initial screen of each tile has been redesigned with stunning visuals and a more consistent feel.

Unlock a healthier you

Monitor your energy levels with Galaxy AI
Samsung Health’s new AI-powered energy score shows your physical and mental condition based on your sleep and physical activity. If your energy score is low, it may be best to take a rest. If your energy score is high, it could be time set a personal best in your favorite exercise. Galaxy AI provides personalized insights and motivation to keep you on the right track.

Get more detailed sleep analysis
New sleep insights give you more detailed and accurate analysis of your sleep quality. Your comprehensive sleep report now includes your heart rate, respiratory rate, and the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep after you lie down. Wear your watch at night to get the new sleep information.

Make your own workout routines
Combine a series of different exercises together for a custom workout routine. You can set targets for sets, reps, time, and more. After you start your routine, your watch can automatically switch to the next exercise when you meet your target. You can optionally add breaks in between exercises. When your routine is finished, you can view your results for the entire routine all in one place.

Control your watch like a pro

Do more with double pinch
Take quick action without touching the screen by pinching your thumb and index finger together twice. You can answer calls, turn off alarms, scroll through notifications, control music, take pictures, and more with just one hand. When space is available, a finger icon will appear on buttons that can be controlled with a double pinch.

Scroll through notifications and tiles quickly
Quickly swipe the screen left or right from the watch face to scroll through multiple notifications or tiles at once. The speed of your swipe determines how many notifications or tiles you scroll through.

View ongoing activities all at once
Tap the bottom of your watch face to view a list of ongoing activities such as phone calls, exercises, or music playing. Tap an item in the list to easily switch between them.

Convenient one-handed use with Universal gestures
Universal gestures now makes it even easier to use your watch without touching the screen. A new gesture lets you easily go back to the previous screen, and when you have an incoming phone call or ringing alarm, you can use universal gestures immediately without any additional actions.

Stay in touch from your wrist

Smarter replies with AI
Respond to messages quickly with AI-generated replies tailored to the message you received. Suggested replies will appear when you view a message notification. Replies are generated on your phone so your messages remain private. Works with phones running One UI 6.1.1 or higher that support AI Suggested replies.

Reply quickly with your favorite emojis
You can set the emojis you use most as favorites so they’re always available to send as a quick response.

Customize your watch

Show weather info that’s important to you
You can now edit your weather tile to show the weather information that you care about the most. Choose from a daily forecast, hourly forecast, precipitation, sunrise and sunset times, weather insights, and more.

Show 2 world clocks at the same time
Customize your world clock tile to show the times in 2 different cities at once so you can quickly check the time difference.

Control notifications without opening your phone
Choose which watch apps are allowed to send you notifications directly on your watch without opening the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone.

Automate your watch with modes
Modes you set up on your phone, such as Sleep mode, Exercise mode, or Theater mode, can now automatically control more of your watch’s settings based on what you’re doing or where you are. In addition to Watch faces and Do not disturb, modes can now also control Always On Display, Raise wrist to wake, Touch screen to wake, Touch bezel to wake, Sound mode, and Disconnection alerts. Works with phones running One UI 6.1.1 or higher.

Even more improvements

Manage calendar events directly from your watch
You can quickly add or edit events right from your wrist without the need to use your phone. Calendar weekly view has also been updated to show you how many events you have on each day.

Make your battery last longer
When Power saving is turned on, you can also choose to limit health features like workout auto detection and background heart rate measurements to make your battery last even longer than before.

Automatically turn on your watch while charging
Use your watch right away without the need to turn on the watch when charging is finished. To use this feature, Auto power on needs to be turned on in Settings.

Automatically connect to Bluetooth audio devices
When you start playing music on your watch, your Bluetooth headphones or speaker will automatically connect for playback if it’s paired with your watch or phone. If no paired Bluetooth audio devices are available to connect, music will play through your watch’s speaker if your music app supports it.

To check for the update, head into your Galaxy Wearable app.

// Samsung