Galaxy Watch 4 Series One UI 5 Update Reportedly Arrives in India; Users Face Issues With Samsung Pay

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series users in India have reportedly started receiving the Wear OS 4 based One UI 5 update. The Watch 4 lineup includes the Galaxy Watch 4 in 40mm and 44mm size variants, and 42mm and 46mm Galaxy Watch 4 Classic variants. Alongside new and updated widgets, the update, which was released in the US last week, comes with July 2023 security patches. The update also introduced the NFC-based Samsung Pay feature to the users in India, but it seems to be not working at all.

A Sammobile report states that Samsung has started rolling out the Wear OS 4-based One UI 5 Watch update for Galaxy Watch 4 series users in India. The update comes with new watch faces and tiles, including a power tile that shows the battery level of all connected Samsung devices, a timer tile, and a tile for the Buds controller.

Users can seemingly activate or deactivate 360 Audio directly from their watches using the Galaxy Buds tile. Users also have the option to use the photo album as their wallpaper or backdrop rather than just one particular picture. The update also allows one to use the Smart Switch app to preserve watch data backups in Samsung Cloud. With this update, users can also pair the Galaxy Watch 4 to a new handset without performing a factory reset.

The One UI 5 Watch update generates individualised heart rate zones, increased sleep coaching, and records of cycling workouts. The ability to modify call volume, mute sound, and push keypad buttons directly from the Galaxy Watch 4 is also possible with this update. It also allows the Samsung assistant Bixby read notifications, as per the report.

Another Sammobile report adds that the update, which also extends the Samsung Pay feature for the Galaxy Watch 4 series, is not allowing users to use the NFC-based ‘tap and pay’ option. The Samsung Pay app reportedly appears in the smartwatch’s app drawer after being installed. Users are then taken through the tips and uses of the app, after which the linked smartphone prompts them to update the watch to the most recent software version. 

The catch is that the smartwatch is already updated to the latest software (which introduced the feature to the device), and therefore the Samsung Pay app on the Galaxy Watch 4 is rendered useless, locked in a vicious cycle of updates. The report adds that the issue could be from the recent rebranding of the payment service. Samsung updated Samsung Pay and renamed it Samsung Wallet. The One UI 5 Watch-powered Galaxy Watch, is said to search for Samsung Pay rather than Samsung Wallet.