Samsung announces OneUI update for Galaxy Watches with a QWERTY keyboard and assistive features

Samsung announced its One UI 4.5 update for Galaxy Watches, including a full QWERTY keyboard, customizable watch faces and dual-SIM support. The update will sit on top of Wear OS 3.5 and will be available for the Galaxy Watch4, the Galaxy Watch4 Classic and other upcoming models.

Almost a year after Apple introduced a full QWERTY keyboard with the Apple Watch 7, Samsung is bringing the feature to Galaxy Watches. If you don’t want to spend an eternity typing each letter while forming a sentence, you can easily swipe to type words. You can also quickly switch to other input methods like voice dictation and handwriting through rotating bezel gestures.

Image Credits: Samsung

Samsung is also introducing dual-SIM support for Galaxy Watches, so when you have a preferred SIM set on the phone, the same setting is reflected on the watch. While calling, you can switch between SIMs easily from the watch, too.

Image Credits: Samsung

Smartwatch software updates are not complete without some watch face features, and you’ll get more customization options like saving different styles of a single watch face as favorites with One UI 4.5. You can easily swipe through the favorite list to set a watch face for different moods.

Samsung is introducing a bunch of accessibility features with this update as well, makin navigation easier for people with visual or hearing impairment. You’ll be able to adjust hue and contrast levels, reduce transparency and blur levels, and turn off animations for better visibility.

Image Credits: Samsung

Other tools include balance adjustment for sound output through Bluetooth headset, touch duration time extension and ignoring repeated touches. Users will be able to specify the duration for controls like volume and stay on screen for them to take action.

Samsung’s announcement about the new update for Galaxy Watches comes a day after Apple released its WatchOS 9 public beta with features like A-fib detection improvement and sleep stage measurement. Comparatively, Samsung’s newest update focuses more on visual and accessibility aspects than fitness and health.