Samsung Brings Part of the Wear OS Magic to Its Tizen Smartwatches

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 embraces one big change as compared to all its predecessors: it gives up on Tizen and goes for Wear OS, therefore giving Google’s wearable operating system a huge boost in the competition against Apple’s watchOS.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean Samsung is ready to leave behind all of its Tizen-based smartwatches, so the company has announced that some of the features previously exclusive to the Galaxy Watch 4 would also launch on older models like the Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Watch Active 2, and Galaxy Watch 3.

The new rollout, which will happen via a software update to go live on these devices, is mostly focused on health capabilities and personalization options.

So for example, those who own a Galaxy Watch Active 2 or a Galaxy Watch 3 will get support for fall detection. This system automatically detects when the wearer has recorded a fall, asking for input, and in case no response is offered, it can automatically dial 911 and provide the location of the accident.

The rollout started on November 15

At the same time, Samsung is also bringing Group Challenge to all smartwatches.

“Group Challenge enables you to work out with friends no matter how far apart you are – helping you stay motivated and connected by working out together. With the new update, you can now add your friends or family members to a Challenge, battling it out to see who can go the furthest or the fastest, either working as a team or competing against each other individually. Keep track of your own place in the competition or see how you’re performing as a team – all from your wrist,” the company says.

In addition, the company is also bringing the Samsung Health monitor app, as well as 10 additional faces that were originally launched on the Galaxy Watch 4, to previous devices running Tizen.