Summary
- Samsung is dropping support for Tizen OS smartwatches in 2025, fully transitioning to Wear OS for better updates and features.
- Tizen watch content will stop being sold on Galaxy Store in 2024, with downloads ending in 2025 and core services soon after.
- Customers with Tizen OS smartwatches still have time to download content and enjoy their devices before needing to switch to newer options.
When Samsung switched to Tizen OS in 2018 with the original Galaxy Watch, many people thought the Korean OEM was taking the same approach as Apple and wanted to distance itself from Google-made software in the wearables market. However, those dreams were soon dashed when Samsung left Tizen for Google’s Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4 series. Since then, Tizen has been operating on a wing and prayer, leaving customers with an operating system that’s not on par with Wear OS and inconsistent with software updates.
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Samsung’s transition to Wear OS was driven by a desire to align with a more widely used and updated operating system, as Tizen was struggling to keep up with the pace of Wear OS development. After putting Tizen in a persistent vegetative state for a few years, it seems Samsung has finally decided to kill its beloved OS and drop support for older smartwatches. Reddit user Seaweed_Maximum has shared screenshots of Samsung’s notice that sets the timeline for dropping support for Tizen devices (via Android Authority).
Samsung will officially drop support for Tizen OS smartwatches in 2025
Putting Tizen on life support starts with cutting its access to the Galaxy Store. As the screenshots read, the Galaxy Store will stop selling paid Tizen watch content on September 30, 2024. As a side note, the content means apps, watch faces, etc.
Again, on May 31, 2025, the Galaxy Store will stop allowing new downloads of free Tizen watch content. Samsung also adds that “core services related to this watch will stop everywhere except Galaxy Store” after May 2025. Finally, as of September 30, 2025, the “My Apps” section in the Galaxy Store will drop the re-downloads ability. This means Tizen users will no longer be able to access any form of free or paid content.
Samsung states that the termination schedule will apply to all Samsung Gear smartwatches and Samsung Galaxy-branded watches that run on Tizen OS, including the Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch Active, and Galaxy Watch Active 2. It remains to be seen which markets will be impacted first, but the Tizen developer portal has already started blocking new Tizen watch apps or updates.
If you purchased a Samsung wearable with Tizen OS, you still have a few months to download content from the Galaxy Store and over a year to enjoy your device. This gives you ample time to prepare for the transition. However, once Tizen-running smartwatches are officially out of Samsung’s support cycle, impacted customers will need to consider alternative options.
If you’re a loyal Samsung customer, the Galaxy Watch 6 could be a reliable option. However, keep in mind that Samsung is preparing to unveil the Galaxy Watch 7 series in August this year. So, perhaps it would be wise to wait a bit to ensure you get the most up-to-date smartwatch from Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is surely one of the best Android watches available, especially if you are already in the Samsung ecosystem. With a sapphire crystal display, Exynos W930 processor, 2GB of RAM, and up to a 425mAh battery, this watch is built to be a solid performer.
