Newsletter
Samsung‘s Galaxy Watch 4 series is receiving a new software update. The rollout began in South Korea a few days back and has since expanded to other regions too, including the US. The new firmware version for the 2021 Samsung smartwatches is R8**XXU1GVI3.
The latest update for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is a relatively minor release. It doesn’t bring any notable new features or user-facing changes. The watches aren’t even getting a new security patch. They remain on the August security patch, which they picked up last month. But the new update contains some bug fixes and system stability improvements. Samsung may also be seeding some important software optimizations for improved reliability and connectivity.
This update comes just about a month after the previous one, which brought the August security patch to the Galaxy Watch 4 duo. It was a major release with the watches getting One UI Watch 4.5 based on Wear OS 3.5. From new watch faces, complications, and customization options to features like dual-SIM support, camera controller, improved accessibility, improved messaging, Quick commands for Bixby, and more, the devices received a lot. Perhaps some bugs may have sneaked into the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic with that update and Samsung is patching those now.
Either way, if you’re using one of Samsung’s 2021 smartwatch models, you should be getting a new software update soon. Watch out for a notification from the Galaxy Wearable app on your connected smartphone. You can also manually check for updates from the app as well as the watch itself. On the app, go to Watch settings and scroll down to the Watch software update menu. On the watch, open the Settings app and tap on the Software update menu. The OTA (over the air) package weighs around 186MB.
The Galaxy Watch 4 received Google Assistant support earlier this year
The Galaxy Watch 4 series is Samsung’s first Wear OS-powered smartwatch. Launched in August last year, the company followed up with the Galaxy Watch 5 series a couple of months back. Before releasing the new smartwatches, Samsung rolled out Google Assistant support to its 2021 models. The digital voice assistant lets you get things done over voice commands. You can place hands-free calls, send messages, set timers, set reminders, and do much more. If you aren’t sure how to get started with Google Assistant on your Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, you may want to check out our detailed guide.