Galaxy Watch 8 Begins One UI 9 Watch Testing: Wear OS 7 Update Moves Closer to Release

Samsung has begun internal beta testing of One UI 9 Watch on the Galaxy Watch 8, signaling that the Wear OS 7-based platform update is approaching public release. The update will first appear on the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 when they launch at Unpacked on July 22, with existing watches receiving it later.

What One UI 9 Watch Brings

• Wear Widgets: Redesigned widget system that replaces the current tile-based navigation with richer, more informative widgets directly on the watch face
• Live Updates: Real-time activity and notification updates that persist as floating cards on the display, similar to Apple's Live Activities
• Gemini AI integration: Deeper integration with Google's Gemini assistant for on-device processing and smarter contextual responses
• Galaxy Wearable app redesign: Samsung is also testing a major design overhaul of the companion Galaxy Wearable phone app

Compatibility and Timeline

• Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2: Ship with One UI 9 Watch at launch (July 22)
• Galaxy Watch 8: Currently in internal testing — expected Q3 2026
• Galaxy Watch 7: Expected Q3–Q4 2026
• Galaxy Watch 6: May receive a partial update, timeline unclear

What This Means for Buyers

If you own a Galaxy Watch 8 or Watch 7, the One UI 9 Watch update should arrive within months, bringing your existing watch much closer to the Watch 9 experience. There's little reason to upgrade for software alone. If you're choosing between Samsung and Google, both ecosystems now run on Wear OS 7 — the Pixel Watch 5 launches August 12 with Wear OS 7 and Google Health. Compare all smartwatches in our smartwatch guide.