Overview
- Samsung opened the One UI 8 Watch beta to the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, beginning in South Korea with U.S. availability expected next, according to multiple reports.
- Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic received a fifth beta update (firmware ending ZYK2) that fixes a daylight savings time display issue and improves performance.
- The beta is distributed via the Samsung Members app, with installation handled through the Galaxy Wearable app on a paired phone.
- Built on Wear OS 6, One UI 8 Watch adds improved hand gestures, a Now Bar for ongoing activity updates, the option to merge tiles and add more widgets, new watch faces, a grid-style app drawer, and grouped message notifications with a double‑pinch clear gesture.
- The stable One UI 8 Watch build is currently available only for the Galaxy Watch 7 series and the 2024 Watch Ultra, and coverage notes the broader rollout has been slow and geographically narrow compared with Samsung’s phone updates.