Galaxy Watch 5 Series Is Getting Its First Software Update

Samsung‘s Galaxy Watch 5 series is receiving its first software update. The rollout has begun for the LTE models in the US. More specifically, units on Verizon’s network are getting the update. A wider rollout may follow in the coming days.

According to the changelog shared by Verizon, the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro LTE models are getting a fix for an issue with Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messages. WEA is a public safety system that alerts people of imminent natural disasters and other threats in their area. But the new Samsung smartwatches were failing to receive such messages if they contained more than 255 characters. This update fixes that problem.

Samsung recently rolled out the same fix to the Galaxy Watch 4 series LTE models as well, with the sixth One UI Watch 4.5 beta update. So this appears to be an issue with its software. The Galaxy Watch 5 series runs stable One UI Watch 4.5, and the new watches are getting that fix too. The new update rolling out to the Galaxy Watch 5 40mm (SM-R905), Galaxy Watch 5 44mm (SM-R915), and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (SM-R925) LTE models on Verizon’s network with firmware version R9x5USQU1AVH2.

The changelog doesn’t mention anything else and that’s probably it. If you’re one of those few people in the US who have already received their Galaxy Watch 5 pre-orders, then you can look forward to his update. You should get a notification for the OTA (over the air) rollout through the Galaxy Wearable app on a connected smartphone. You can check for updates from the “Watch Settings” menu in the app. Of course, you can also navigate to the Settings app on the watch itself and go to Watch software update to check for updates.

The Galaxy Watch 5 series goes on sale today

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 5 series alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 foldables earlier this month. The company opened pre-orders for the new products, which also include the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro TWS headphones, immediately after the unveiling on August 10. It even started shipping the pre-orders the next day in some regions.

However, for those waiting for the general sales of the devices, they can finally pick up the new Samsung smartwatches from a nearby store today. The vanilla Galaxy Watch 5 starts at $279.99 for the Bluetooth model and $329.99 for the LTE model. The two connectivity options for the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro cost $449.99 and $499.99, respectively.