(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo/PCMag)
Samsung rolled out its One UI 8 update for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic earlier this month, and users report that the experience has been anything but pleasant.
According to users on Samsung's community forum, spotted by SamMobile, the update is breaking the Galaxy Watch 4's wrist detection, body composition (BIA), and ECG features. The sensors, however, start working if the watch is worn upside down, with the sensor facing the palm side of the wrist. The watch also locks itself whenever the screen turns off, and a reset doesn't fix the problem.
On Reddit, users also complained about battery life and always-on display (AOD) issues. While a slight drop in battery life is normal with a software update, one user saw it reduced by nearly half. Some commenters mentioned that clearing the cache helped, though it's not a consistent fix. Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic users have also reported similar issues.
Samsung has yet to comment on the issue, but it may have temporarily halted the update. As 9to5Google notes, the option to update the software isn't showing up for many users.
The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic were released in 2021, and the latter gained special attention for its rotating bezel. Samsung's One UI 8 interface, meanwhile, debuted on the new Galaxy Watch 8 series earlier this year and runs on Google's Wear OS 6 software.