The state of Android wearables and tablets are dire, to say the least. Samsung appears to be the only company making any progress in this field. Their Galaxy S series of tablets and Galaxy Watch/ Watch Active series of smartwatches are miles ahead of the competition. Today, the company announced that the Galaxy Watch and the Watch Active will get several Watch Active 2 features via the latest update.
Galaxy Watch and Watch Active to get enhanced Bixby Voice, new Watch Faces, new user interface elements and more
Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active users will be able to use Bixby Voice to start exercise routines, find out time differences between places and more. Samsung claims that Bixby learns from your routine and becomes more helpful over time. It will be available in British English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
The update also brings forth a host of new Watch faces to both devices. Users will now have access to 24 new sub-dials on top of 17 already available, making the watch more customizable. The improved UX will bring our new My Style feature to both smartwatches for the first time.
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The new update also repositions icons for in-use apps to the bottom of the watch face. Additionally, the current time will now always be displayed on-screen when the stopwatch app is in use or users are on a call. Other changes include a clearer graphic UI, easier user interaction, and new emoji offerings in a range of diverse skin tones. Galaxy Watch Active users will get a new Touch Bezel interface allowing users to navigate using finger swipe actions around the bezel.
Samsung Health will now let users keep track of their fitness goals through the Daily Active feature, as well as track lap times while running or cycling. The Galaxy Watch will now support a Low Heart Rate Alert as well. The big bumps up the One UI version to 1.5 for the smartwatches. It will start rolling out today in some regions and gradually expand to others. You will be able to download it from the Galaxy Wearable app on your connected phone once the update is available. I haven't received the update on my Galaxy Watch Active just yet. Watch this space for my impressions about the same.