Samsung has started rolling out the Galaxy Watch 4 One UI Beta program. You can register for the software now if you want to test it before its official release. The download has been made available in South Korea, and the United States will follow soon.
How to join the beta
You may have spotted the official banner in the Samsung Members app inviting you to join. Click on it and it will take you to the registration form.
The other way to do it is:
- Open the Samsung Members app and sign in with your Samsung account details.
- Select Notice. You should see a link there to Signing up for the One UI Watch beta program. Click on it.
- Complete and submit the application form.
If Samsung assesses that you meet the criteria for participation, you will be enrolled in the One UI Watch beta program. This allows you to download Galaxy One UI firmware from Samsung servers and install it on your watch. Just go to Settings > Software update > Download and install.
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Note that you must live in the United States or South Korea to be accepted. Apart from the obvious – whether you have a Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic – the other criteria is that you have a Samsung smartphone. Which means the beta won’t work on non-Samsung smartphones. If you have an Android phone or an iPhone, you’re out of luck.
Installing software is risky
It goes without saying that installing beta versions of software exposes you to all sorts of risks. There is no guarantee that your watch will work perfectly and features may be incomplete. Before installing this kind of older versions, it is always recommended to backup your data on a computer.
The goal of the beta release is to create a better operating system and user experience. You can therefore help Samsung by reporting any bugs you find in the software. That’s the whole point of beta versions.
This is done by choosing Beta Feedback > Submit Feedback in the Samsung member app. You can also submit shipping suggestions to Samsung by going to Beta Community > Hints.
One UI 4.5 beta Beta change-log
The rollout has now started and users have started downloading the beta in South Korea (via Tizenhelp). It goes under the R8**XXU1ZVE7 firmware version and is 796MB in size. One UI 4.5 is expected to roll out in the US shortly. Undoubtedly, Samsung will want to use the next few months to perfect the software ahead of the planned launch of the Galaxy Watch 5 later this year.
The software change log can be viewed below. The beta version upgrades watch faces by adding a bunch of settings. Notifications get Agif support while the keyboard supports QWERTY layout. There’s better support for handwriting, voice input, and gestures. Users can also use dual SIM on their watch and notice a new user interface in the contact section.
For more information, head over to Samsung’s One UI Beta page.
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