Samsung Galaxy Watch Gets Second Update, But Some Users Can’t Download It Just Yet

Samsung released the first software update for its Galaxy Watch more than a month ago. It did not take long before the company pushed the second update.

According to GSM Arena, Samsung rolled out the new software update for the Galaxy Watch on Wednesday, Oct. 17, which requires a 28MB download. Users can grab the update through the Galaxy Wearable app on the phone that the watch is paired to. Once the new software is installed, the Galaxy Watch will be on software version R800XXU1BRJ4 for the 42mm device, or R810XXU1BRJ4 for the 46mm model.

The new update improves overall usability and user experience on the watch, but the changelog did not provide detailed information on what these improvements are. The update is neither a big one nor does it bring new features to the Galaxy Watch. Instead, the upgrade of the OS version to Tizen 4.0.0.1 enhances the reliability of battery charging and makes music playback more reliable.

No complaint has so far been reported on the battery of the Galaxy Watch, but the company is apparently giving this area some focus. The Galaxy Watch, particularly the 46mm variant, in fact, already has great battery life. LTE connectivity for the 46mm version can last four days on one charge.

“Samsung has touted battery life as one of the highlights of the Galaxy Watch, especially the 46mm variant, which has a 472 mAh battery (the smaller one has a 270 mAh battery),” reads a review by SamMobile.

“With Watch always on mode enabled, I could get up to 2.5 days of battery life, and that’s including testing things out for this review, so your mileage with regular usage would be higher.”

Improving the reliability of the Galaxy Watch’s battery charging could be a preventive action from the South Korean company, given that the older Gear S3 encountered problems with charging and overheating. Following an update to Tizen 3.0, many Gear S3 owners reported encountering problems with charging where their watch would not charge up to 100 percent.

Prior to that patch, users claimed that the chargers would overheat when the device gets 90 percent charged. Some had to take their watch off of the charger to give it time to cool down, before charging it again to reach 100 percent. The new update for the Samsung Galaxy Watch could hopefully prevent this problem.

Some users won’t be able to update their Galaxy Watch just yet. The update is currently available only for users in the United States, but it is expected to make its way to other countries in the next few days or weeks.