Wear OS 6 should be the most significant upgrade for Android smartwatches since Google and Samsung joined forces in 2021. Official reveals and code leaks show that both brands have significant changes in store.
Wear OS 6 will have a redesigned UI based on Material 3 Expressive with new scrolling animations and transitions, dynamic color theming, and redesigned buttons and tiles meant to take full advantage of the Pixel Watch's curved display.
Both stock Wear OS and the new One UI Watch will switch from Google Assistant to Gemini, with the latter providing LLM-backed answers and better integration with other Google apps.
And Samsung's variant — which is rumored to jump from One UI 6 Watch to One UI 8 Watch to align with their phones' version — allegedly will add key features like the Now Bar and Shortcuts to streamline your Galaxy Watch experience.
While Wear OS 5 focused a lot on AI, Wear OS 6 looks to combine new AI smarts with a larger system overhaul. This guide will break down which Android smartwatches are due to receive Wear OS 6, when to expect this version, and what other features we hope to see.
Wear OS 6 features
Google should fully walk us through Wear OS 6 around Google I/O 2025 from May 20–21. But for now, this Google blog post and the video above walk us through Material 3 Expressive, the design language coming to Android phones and watches.
Designed to complement the Pixel Watch 3's rounded display, M3E adds a "sense of depth" to scrolling animations by making app icons and glanceable buttons enlarge or shrink based on how close they are to the edge.
Google's new buttons are "space-efficient and easily tappable" while being "more engaging" in terms of highlighting key actions and information in compact form. The concept art reminds me of the popular Smart Stack on Apple Watches.
Wear OS 6 will also add "motion and responsive feedback" to certain UI elements like the pin pad and media controls. And the UI colors will match the theme you choose for your Pixel Watch faces; Google calls it dynamic color-theming.
Most of these Wear OS 6 features apply solely to the Pixel Watch series, like the upcoming Pixel Watch 4. But Google also promises that this update "delivers up to 10% more battery life" by improvements to performance and power; you can assume this efficiency boost will apply to other Wear OS watches, too.
Otherwise, Google has promised Gemini will come to Wear OS "in the coming months," and this should apply to any Wear OS watch with Assistant.
Gemini will serve the same purpose as Assistant, and you'll summon it with "Hey Google" or a button shortcut as always. But Google promises you'll be able to speak more "naturally" when having Gemini perform actions. You'll also have better access to other Google apps, so you can ask the assistant to summarize your Gmail inbox or check your Messages for info.
One UI 8 Watch
Several May 2025 leaks have revealed Samsung's alleged plans for its spin-off of Wear OS 6, starting with a surprise rebrand: The software version will jump from last year's One UI 6 Watch to One UI 8 Watch, to better align with phones' One UI 8 and remove any confusion.
Naming aside, an APK deep dive into a leaked version of One UI 8 Watch revealed Samsung plans to add a Now Bar that you can summon to the main watch face with a double-pinch gesture, showing contextually relevant apps or information based on Galaxy AI suggestions.
In addition, this version could add the option to place app icon shortcuts onto the main watch face, so you don't need to pull up the app drawer. And you'll be able to rotate randomly between your favorite watch faces, apparently.
Another leaked feature is an adaptive charging tool to preserve your Galaxy Watch battery life by halting charging at a custom percentage. We've also seen this feature rumored for Pixel Watches.
While none of this is official, Samsung did confirm that Gemini will replace Assistant on Galaxy Watches. And at the January 2025 Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung's head of Digital Health, Dr. Praveen Raja, spent a few minutes on stage describing Samsung Health features coming later this year.
He described Vascular Load Indicator, a Samsung Health Labs feature that tracks how your "daily activities impact your cardiovascular system" so you can "reduce strain on your heart and maintain long-term heart health."
Samsung Health Labs will also have "tailored meal plans and recipes" with "personalized nutrition advice," both built by Galaxy AI. And the Galaxy Watch 8 should have an antioxidant index, generated by tracking your body's beta carotene levels.
Most intriguing, Raja promised that Samsung Health will have an AI "Coach" that will let you "ask questions, get real-time insights, and receive personalized coaching as if you would from your own personal health assistant."
Wear OS 6 eligible watches
Wear OS 6 will arrive on the Galaxy Watch 8 and Pixel Watch 4 in late summer or early fall this year, before any other smartwatches. After that, there are a dozen other Android smartwatches eligible to receive Wear OS 6.
Samsung has promised that all Galaxy Watches will get four years of major updates. The Galaxy Watch 4, which started with Wear OS 3 and received Wear OS 3.5, 4, and 5 in subsequent years, should end its update cycle with Wear OS 6.
All other Galaxy Watches with Wear OS software should receive the latest update as well. We technically haven't gotten confirmation whether the budget Galaxy Watch FE will get four years, but Wear OS 6 is a given.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 / Watch 4 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 / Watch 5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 / Watch 6 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
Samsung delivered Wear OS 5 to last-gen watches from November–December 2024, so expect Wear OS 6 around that same window in 2025.
Google has promised three years of updates for its Pixel Watches, but wasn't entirely clear on whether that meant version updates or security updates. The first Pixel Watch launched with Wear OS 3.5, so Wear OS 6 will be its final update if Google does support it.
- Google Pixel Watch*
- Google Pixel Watch 2
- Google Pixel Watch 3
Assuming Google doesn't have any update issues like its Wear OS 5 rollback, the Wear OS 6 update should come to these Pixel watches shortly after the Pixel Watch 4 in late summer or early fall.
OnePlus confirmed that its Wear OS watches will receive two version updates, making Wear OS 6 the final update for the OnePlus Watch 2 and Watch 2R.
- OnePlus Watch 2
- OnePlus Watch 2R
- OnePlus Watch 3
OnePlus also confirmed these watches won't get Wear OS 5 until "Q3 of this year," meaning sometime between July and September. So we can assume Wear OS 6 will be similarly delayed into late 2026 for the OnePlus Watch 3 and Watch 2. The unannounced OnePlus Watch 4 should get it in spring 2026, in theory.
Mobvoi doesn't guarantee updates, and its most recent models like the TicWatch 5 Enduro and TicWatch Atlas currently remain on Wear OS 4, with that update arriving in September 2024. It's possible they receive Wear OS 6 eventually, but Wear OS 5 is the first priority; plus, TicWatches no longer support Google Assistant, so Gemini would be wasted on them.
The only other Wear OS brand worth mentioning is Xiaomi, which (like Mobvoi) is about a year behind Google and Samsung's updates. It's possible the Xiaomi Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro will receive Wear OS 6, but not until 2026 at this current pace.
Wear OS 6 wishlist
Google and Samsung have already confirmed some Wear OS 6 features we had on our original wishlist: more efficient battery life, UI improvements, adaptive charging, and Gemini smarts. But there's still more we'd like to see.
Wear OS 6 will add better theming around watch faces, but we'd like to see this update bring back Facer after Google banned third-party watch faces on Wear OS 5. We'd also be curious to see Gemini-generated watch faces.
Wear OS 5 focused heavily on fitness updates. Wear OS 6 should continue this trend with downloadable and shareable courses in Google Maps, better syncing with accessories like HRMs or cycling power meters, and better non-running sports guidance like counting gym reps.
On the Gemini front, a Gemini Coach LLM that gives you personalized health advice based on your nightly stats or judges your training load and walks you through future workouts would be a nice perk.
The Galaxy Watch 7 made gestures a priority, so perhaps we could see more recognized gestures across Wear OS brands, not just Samsung watches.
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