Samsung’s WearOS 6-based One UI 8 Watch has started rolling out in beta. Available to users in the US and South Korea for now, the beta rollout is currently limited to the tech giant’s latest Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
The 1.9GB update began rolling out to eligible users that enrolled through the Samsung Members app, though not everyone that enrolled has been able to download the update.
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For reference, the One UI 8 Watch beta is available for both Bluetooth and LTE models of the Galaxy Watch 7. The Galaxy Watch Ultra, on the other hand, doesn’t have a Bluetooth-only version, and hence, the update is only available on the sole LTE version of the watch. However, simply owning the latest Galaxy Watch isn’t enough to get you access to One UI 8 Watch. The beta comes with subsequent carrier requirements as well.
These don’t apply to the Galaxy Watch 7’s Bluetooth variant. Users with said model are free to try out the beta update, provided they’re in one of the two eligible countries and have opted in via the Samsung Members app. For Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra LTE owners, though, the primary requirement (in the US) is an active T-Mobile plan for their wearable.
Wider beta availability is uncertain
As clarified by the South Korean tech giant in a Samsung Community support post (via TechIssuesToday), “to receive the Beta update, your Watch must have an active T-Mobile data plan.” It added that the software update will not be delivered, regardless of your enrollment via the Members app, “if the SIM is not activated or the device is not currently using T-Mobile’s mobile network.”
This means that users that might have purchased their LTE Watch 7 or Galaxy Watch Ultra directly via Samsung, and never got a T-Mobile data plan for it (or got a data plan from a different carrier) are not eligible under the current beta rollout. There is currently no timeline for wider support for One UI 8 Watch beta.
