Samsung is pulling the final plug on Galaxy Watch models powered by Tizen, with the company set to fully cut off remaining watches from their apps and watch faces.
The switch to Wear OS as the base for Samsung’s smartwatch experience has been underway for a few years now, with the end of Tizen starting back in 2021 shortly after Samsung revealed the Galaxy Watch 4 series. A 3-year support timeline was announced which, as of last year, was coming to an end for Galaxy Watch 3, the final Tizen release.
Last year, Samsung announced that it would stop selling paid apps or watch faces for Tizen-based Galaxy Watch models, and then phased out free items as well.
As of September 30 – so the end of this month – Samsung will cease allowing app or watch face downloads altogether. While this won’t stop your Galaxy Watch from working entirely, it will cut it off from any new software at all. If you have to reset the watch or even just happen to uninstall something, it’s gone for good. There’s no getting it back.
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For a smartwatch, especially one that was sold on the promise of access to these additional pieces of functionality, that’s basically a death knell.
If you have still been using a Tizen-based Galaxy Watch, the time has very much come for an upgrade. Luckily, that’s not hard to find as Samsung has been known to offer boosted trade-in credits, and it’s also pretty easy to get your hands on a newer Galaxy Watch for cheap through deals or refurbished units.
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