Samsung Gear S3 gets big US update ahead of S3 Classic launch on AT&T

Ahead of the Samsung Gear S3 Classic’s launch on AT&T this Friday, the Tizen-based smartwatch is now receiving a significant update in the US. Both the Gear S3 Classic and Frontier models have been available unbranded since last year, but this may be the biggest update to hit them yet.

The update, spotted by Tizen Experts, bumps the Tizen OS from version 2.3.2.0 to 2.3.2.3 and introduces a wealth of new features like additional watch faces, a new News Briefing UI, a Find My Device function, S Voice and S health improvements and an auto-refresh option for the barometer.

The Gear S3 is also now compatible with BMW Connected, the Nest smart thermostat, and Spotify, and has received better iOS support and accessibility features (the stop watch max time has been increased to three hours, too).

Some of the those tweaks already appeared on the Gear S3 in various places, however, so it’s not like the dozen or so additions are all brand new. Still, it’s another incentive for AT&T customers to pick up the S3 Classic in a couple of days.

The update has been spotted on the Gear S3 Frontier edition for AT&T, but the same might be hitting other carrier units too. To see if the update is available on your watch, go to Settings > About Gear and tap the Update Gear Software button. It’s expected to be in the region of 130 MB.