(Image credit: Future)

Samsung has just done what many, including us, thought was off the table: it’s officially bringing the latest version of Wear OS and One UI Watch to its first-ever Wear OS smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 4.

Despite being left out of the One UI 8 beta earlier this year and presumed done with major updates, the Watch 4 is getting a last-minute software lifeline quietly, but definitively.

The Galaxy Watch 4, which launched in 2021 as Samsung’s first collaboration with Google on Wear OS, was expected to cap out at three years of software updates.

And when the One UI Watch 8 beta based on Wear OS 6 rolled out in June 2025 to newer models only, it looked like the update had passed it by.

But now, firmware builds for the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic running One UI 8 have surfaced online, and Samsung has confirmed that the update is indeed on its way.

This makes the Galaxy Watch 4 the oldest Samsung smartwatch to get Wear OS 6, and likely the last time it will receive

New software, fresh features

a major upgrade.

One UI Watch 8 brings a cleaner interface with stacked widgets, improved animations, smarter notification grouping and new health tools like Bedtime Guidance and Running Coach.

Wear OS 6, meanwhile, improves performance, privacy and deeper integration with Google services.

Not all the new features may be supported due to hardware limitations, but this is still a substantial update, especially for a watch many had already mentally retired.

Samsung hasn’t said exactly when the update will roll out widely, but the firmware is already in circulation, suggesting it’s not far off.

For Watch 4 owners, this unexpected twist is a welcome one. Just don’t expect a Wear OS 7 encore.