Samsung will release One UI Watch 4.5 in Q3

The Galaxy Watch 4 series has been beta testing its next "big" upgrade for a few weeks now, and this week, Samsung is confirming when One UI 4.5 will be available to everyone. One UI 4.5, which is based on Wear OS 3.5 and officially announced today, will be released to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic in "Q3 2022." That means the update may arrive at any moment before the end of September.

Samsung has not provided a specific date, but August appears to be a good guess. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series is expected in mid-August and will most likely be updated at the same time. It's reasonable to expect that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will get the upgrade at about the same time. What changes have been made in One UI 4.5 for the Galaxy Watch 4 series?

We've seen all of Samsung's new features thanks to the continuing beta, but the manufacturer highlights four key areas for improvement. The keyboard now includes gesture typing in addition to a complete QWERTY layout, as mentioned previously.

Previously, Samsung's keyboard was solely available with T9 input, voice dictation, and handwritten text. Gboard is the only way for Watch 4 users to get a QWERTY layout before now. Dual-SIM network support was also mentioned by Samsung.

The update also includes a new wearable device feature. “Copy your favorite watch faces and then swap available colors and combinations to create the appearance you desire” is how it works. There's also a "favorites" area for organizing watch faces.

Samsung also highlights several accessibility enhancements included in One UI 4.5, which completes the four major points. The company adds: Users who have difficulty distinguishing colors will be able to change the display's hue and contrast to make fonts easier to read. Other visual assistance features include decreased transparency and blur effects, as well as the disabling of animations. In addition, for persons with hearing difficulties, audible assistance allows them to integrate the sound from their linked Bluetooth headset. Those who want greater control over touch input may turn on Tap duration and ignore repeated touches to offer better management.

Aside from those items, beta upgrades have revealed a few more minor modifications to the OS. Samsung has not announced a specific release date for One UI 4.5, but it's reasonable to anticipate it in August. The upgrade is still in beta testing, but Samsung has seemingly terminated access to the program through invites.