The Galaxy Watch 9 raises the bar for Wear OS updates
Android Police 2026-07-23 12:37:10
Context: Samsung has announced that its latest smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, will receive five major Wear OS updates, setting a new standard for Android smartwatch support. This move expands on Samsung's existing update policy, which previously promised four OS updates and five years of security updates for models released since the Galaxy Watch 4. The increased support timeline brings Samsung's smartwatches more in line with Apple's Apple Watch lineup.
Key Facts
- The Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will receive five major OS upgrades and five years of security updates, surpassing Google's Pixel Watch family which only receives three years of OS updates.
- Samsung's update policy for its Galaxy Watch lineup has been expanded to include one additional OS upgrade, bringing the total to five major OS upgrades, thanks to the new Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset.
- The new Galaxy Watches run Wear OS 7-based One UI 9 and are expected to receive the Wear OS 12 update and security patches until 2031.
- Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will have a significant advantage over Google's Pixel Watch, which only receives three years of OS updates, and will match Apple's support timeline for its Apple Watch lineup.
- The Galaxy Watch 8 family, which uses the Exynos W1000 chipset, will not be eligible for the new update policy and will remain eligible for four major Wear OS updates and five years of security updates.