What you need to know
- One UI 5 Watch will request a PIN or lock pattern even if a Galaxy Watch was factory reset, a deterrent for possible thieves.
- If a user has forgotten their PIN, the software will let them regain access using their Google account or with their phone's fingerprint scanner.
- If this is a product of Wear OS 4 and not Samsung exclusive, it should join Google's new seamless switch to a new phone sans a factory reset.
Samsung's most recent wearable software is adding a better layer of protection for those who've misplaced their device.
According to SamMobile, the company's One UI 5 Watch software has removed the ability to bypass a Galaxy smartwatch's PIN or lock pattern by factory resetting the device. Upon initializing, a Galaxy Watch running the Wear OS 4-based software will request the device's current PIN or pattern.
For those who've made a mistake in typing their PIN — or have forgotten it — Samsung will let users recover their device using their Google account or Android phone.
It appears that the Korean OEM will let users manually enter their Google account password to regain access to their smartwatch and set another password. Moreover, there's the option of using your fingerprint instead. This method appeared to have caused some frustrating errors, so keep that in mind.
Curiously, it isn't made explicitly clear if this recovery method is One UI 5 Watch exclusive or something Google's latest wearable software will deliver on a larger scale.
One UI 5 Watch (Wear OS 4) was initially launched with the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic. The company stated its plans to bring the new software to a couple of past-gen devices like the Galaxy Watch 5, which has already started receiving it. That support was extended down another level to the Galaxy Watch 4 series, which saw its rollout begin a week ago.
The update brings several new abilities, such as call and camera controls, and all of the aforementioned watches have received improvements with sleep tracking and more. However, it's happy days as the latest Wear OS 4-based software no longer requires users to factory reset their existing Galaxy watch when trying to pair it with a new Galaxy phone.
It's likely that when Wear OS 4 rolls out to other smartwatches, more users will experience this streamlined method of swapping to a new phone. This would pair quite well with the buffed factory reset security, too.
The Galaxy Watch 6 follows the Watch 5's script, however, Samsung has made some meaningful enhancements. The watch delivers an immersive 1.34-inch display on your wrist, displaying all of your most crucial information. With a stronger chip and more RAM, the Galaxy Watch 5 is faster and can handle a little more throughout your day.
