We’ve already seen several rumors about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro smartwatches, and today, Samsung shared some information about the upcoming new watch faces and upcoming features in One UI Watch 4.5. The new One UI Watch 4.5 release will have a new visual and auditory assistance feature, a new QWERTY keyboard, customizable watch faces, and even dual SIM support.

The new One UI Watch 4.5 update will be based on Wear OS 3.5, and it will be available to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic smartwatches, and the “upcoming Galaxy Watch Series”, states the press release, suggesting the Galaxy Watch 5 smartwatches. The new update will be publicly released sometime in the third quarter of this year.

Source: Samsung

One of the most notable new features are the new customizable watch faces. Samsung, says that it’s making it easier to match your watch and your outfit together, thanks to a new feature that’ll let you swap colors and combinations to create a look that you desire. Additionally, users will also be able to set up a new “favorites” list to make searching for watch faces easier and quicker.

Samsung also shared new screenshots of the full QWERTY keyboard that will now include Swipe to Type, in addition to dictation and handwriting capabilities. Writing a quick reply or a message on your smartwatch will now be easier, more accurate, and faster on One UI Watch 4.5. The smartwatches will now also gain dual-SIM support. If more than one SIMs are used in a connected smartphone, the watch will allow users to select the SIM card they wish to choose, before making a call. This should remove the need to pull out the phone, every time users want to call up their friends and family members.

Next up, Galaxy users will finally be able to adjust the display hues and contrast settings to improve the reading experience. The blur and transparency effects will also be customizable, and those with hard of hearing will be able to adjust the sound output. Additionally, users will also be able to adjust the notification, volume, touch input duration, and all other accessibility options in a new menu.

We’re glad to see the new accessibility features arrive on smartwatches, and we can see them being used by millions of users. It’s always important to make software easily accessible and customizable to individuals; the new accessibility shortcuts and settings will do just that.

The current state of Wear OS 3

Source: Google

Wear OS 3, as it stands, is still exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatches, and soon to the joining Galaxy Watch 5 series, and the recently unveiled Montblanc Summit 3 premium watch. Existing smartwatches should be receiving the update in the coming months, and new smartwatches should be announced with the new operating system later this year, including the Google Pixel Watch.

The current list of supported devices is very slim, and it only includes five smartwatches, including the Montblanc Summit 3. Wear OS 3 should launch “in mid to second half of 2022”, and we’re excited to see what manufacturers manage to make out of the most advanced Android OS to date. The new platform will offer an entirely new platform for smartwatches, and if the Galaxy Watch 4 is any indication on what to expect, we should have our hopes up. The new system improves the features and functionality of devices, and we can’t wait to test out better Apple Watch competitors.