Your Samsung Galaxy Watch is getting a wave of new features – here's what to expect
Wear OS 7 is bringing a lot of extras for free to your Samsung device, here's what to get excited for
Quick Summary
The latest Samsung software update for its watches, via Wear OS 7, brings with it improved battery life and more.
Gemini Intelligence is also being added to your wrist, plus new widgets, new card layouts and more - all expected later this year.
Samsung watch owners are due for a free treat thanks to the newly announced Wear OS 7 update that's on its way.
Google unveiled Wear OS 7 at its I/O 2026 event this week, meaning Samsung smartwatch owners can expect it on their devices in the future too.
One of the standout features expected to arrive with the new Wear update is improved battery performance. Google says this update can give up to 10% better battery life, which could be all the difference for all day and even multi day use.
Google was cautious to say that "select smartwatches" will also get Gemini Intelligence as a helpful AI upgrade. What was less clear was if this will be supported on current smartwatches, or if this is something that will be reserved only for newer models. There is both the hardware strain and the marketing planning to be thought about here.
It would seem likely that Samsung will use this AI upgrade as a way to sell its newer smartwatches, due out later in the year. But, hardware permitting, perhaps it will roll out to older models following that initial launch - potentially.
Wear Widgets is another new addition coming with Wear OS 7. As the name suggests, this offers a "flexible and dynamic" way to get more "expressiveness and consistency".
As you might imagine, these will be similar to the widgets found on Android phones, only more condensed to offer pertinent information on a smartwatch sized display.
Live Updates is also incoming as a way to offer real-time information – ideal for things like delivery tracking coming in from a connected device.
Customisation is also being improved, with the ability to personalise auto-launch on a per-app basis right from the watch.
This is all Google but, of course, Samsung will skin Wear OS 7 with its own One UI. This could mean we see even more features added to Samsung smartwatches when this arrives.
When will Wear OS 7 be available?
Google hasn't officially given a launch date for Wear OS 7. However, based on previous announcements and launches, we should be able to expect this to start rolling out at the back end of this year.
