What you need to know
- Samsung has announced a surprise new update for the Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Watch Active 2, and Galaxy Watch 3.
- Key highlights of the update include advanced fall detection, updated Group Challenge, and nearly a dozen new watch faces.
- You can check for the new update in the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone.
Earlier today, Samsung announced the release of the stable Android 12-based One UI 4 update for its best Android phones. The company has also released a new update for its older Galaxy smartwatches with some features from its Wear OS 3-powered Galaxy Watch 4 series.
The new software update will begin rolling out to Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Watch Active 2, and Galaxy Watch 3 users today. The single biggest highlight of the update is that it brings advanced fall detection to the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 users can now choose to detect a fall even when they are standing still. When the watch detects a fall, it will send an SOS notification to pre-selected contacts.
Samsung has also updated the Group Challenge feature with this update. Users can now add their friends or family members to a Challenge to either work as a team or compete against each other. There are also ten additional watch faces that were first launched with the Galaxy Watch 4.
Samsung says some of the new watch faces are "designed to enable you to take personalization a step further." Users can choose between different backgrounds and text colors simply by tapping on these watch faces. The Animals watch face lets you choose from colorful animated creatures such as a monkey, rabbit, sheep, or cat.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
Samsung's Wear OS 3-powered Galaxy Watch 4 offers excellent battery life and a long list of health tracking features. While it misses out on a rotating bezel, the smartwatch does have an attractive design.
