Samsung’s latest firmware update for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, which introduced One UI 8 Watch (based on Wear OS 6) to the devices, has encountered serious issues.
Shortly after the Korean giant rolled out the update (early to mid-December), users began experiencing issues including unusually fast battery drain and faulty sensors.
A promising update that went sideways
Several user reports suggest that heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and step counting are not working properly or have stopped working at all after installing the latest update.
Battery life, which is already a sensitive issue with older smartwatches, was also significantly affected as the smartwatch did not last a full day after installing the update. As complaints about the firmware mounted, Samsung appears to have quietly paused the rollout.
The Galaxy Watch 4 is one of the most important devices in the company’s wearable lineup. It was the first smartwatch to fully utilize Wear OS and offered long-term software support as its key selling point. A bad update, especially one that breaks everyday functionality, undermines the promise.
In addition, a stopped update also signals that the problems were not isolated edge cases. If you own a Galaxy Watch 4 or the Watch 4 Classic, the issue directly impacts your experience. A smartwatch that can’t track your heart rate or breaks down in the middle of the day could quickly turn into an expensive and not-so-useful wrist accessory.
If you haven’t installed the update yet, I recommend you wait a while, as this is one of the rare cases where clicking “Install” can actually cause problems.
If you have already updated to the latest version, there are some workarounds, such as: E.g. clearing the cache, restarting the smartwatch or resetting the device to factory settings. However, they will not completely solve the problem.
Samsung is expected to release another firmware update to fix the issues, but there is no official timeline yet.
