Time may be up for Samsung Galaxy Watch extended software support

Samsung Galaxy Watch owners have dealt with a lot, especially lately. Some watches have overheated so much that they’ve caused burns on the wrists of those who wear them. Others charge so slowly because of thermal throttling that people are using fans and ice baths to speed the process. But now a new rumor raises a painful possibility for someone who’s invested in a Galaxy Watch: Samsung might be about to stop OS upgrades on older models.

According to Korea-based leaker kro in a post on X, Samsung is reconsidering its update policy for the Galaxy Watch series and is thinking about ending OS upgrades for older Galaxy Watch models, though it will reportedly continue security updates. Kro does not specify which models qualify as “older.”

Samsung’s current OS upgrade and security update policy is five years for both the latest Galaxy Watch 9 and above (including the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2). The policy for the Galaxy Watch 4 through Galaxy Watch 8, as well as the Galaxy Watch FE and Galaxy Watch Ultra, is four years of OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Just last month Samsung ended security updates for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Kro also noted that Samsung has not fully addressed the processor and bug issues that repeatedly plague the Galaxy Watch.

Samsung recently moved from using its own Exynos processor in the Galaxy Watch to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite in the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. The switch comes after Galaxy Watch owners have complained about battery drain time and time again and performance lag issues that follow OS updates.

As for the bugs, well, they continue to pop up. In August, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, Galaxy Watch Ultra, and even the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 had trouble booting back up during the restart process. In the Galaxy Watch sub on Reddit, there are recent complaints for backup issues, overheating, and just the frequency with which bugs crop up in general.

If Samsung does make a change to its upgrade policy, it could be a sign that it’s as frustrated as Galaxy Watch owners when it comes to these issues and, like some of them, is choosing to divest itself of the problem. Android Authority has reached out to Samsung for comment, and we’ll update this story if we hear back.