Samsung tends to release new Galaxy Watch models every year, most recently with the Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic back in July. You have to upgrade if you want the very latest hardware, but thankfully the tech giant has a good habit of updating the software of its older wrist-based wearables to bring them up to speed with their newer counterparts.

That’s exactly what has happened of late with 2023’s Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic, which are reportedly receiving Samsung’s One UI 8 Watch update, which is based on Google’s WearOS 6 and debuted on the Watch 8 series.

As reported by GSMArena (via Alfatürk on X), Samsung has started rolling out this latest Android wearable software in South Korea, which means it shouldn’t be long before the free update is winging its way to UK devices.

That means if you own the Watch 6 or Watch 6 Classic you’re in for a redesigned experience that, in my opinion, improves the look and feel of Samsung’s One UI 8 Watch software.

Instead of whole-screen tiles with information on various things such as health, weather or calendar which you can swipe through left to right or flick between tiles using the rotating bezel (on the Watch 6 Classic at least), the new-look software stacks information in pill shaped tiles.

It does mean tiles are not circular anymore, but you fit more information on the screen in one go, and it lets you customise how much is on one screen and lets you scroll through longer lists of data, if you prefer.

It could make finding the tools you need a little easier, as you don’t have to swipe around as much to find the apps you need, in my experience.

This big update also adds Samsung’s AI-powered Now bar, a software fixture that you’ll also find on the latest Samsung phones with the newest One UI updates, which surfaces information from apps such as weather and calendar to bring you relevant information when you need it.

To check to see if your Galaxy Watch has an update waiting to install, go to the Samsung Wearable app on your phone, then Watch settings > Watch software update > Download and install.

If you own a Galaxy Watch 7 or the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from 2024, you may have already received this update. Samsung tends to stagger the release of its latest mobile and wearable software, slowly going back along the line of devices in the reverse order in which they were released.

If you have the older Galaxy Watch 5, there’s a good chance you will be next in line to get the One UI 8 Watch update – you might have to sit tight for a few more weeks, though.