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To change an installed face, wake your Galaxy Watch, touch and hold the current watch face, swipe left or right, then tap the face you want. To install another face on newer Wear OS models, swipe to the end of the face carousel and tap Add watch face, or open the watch’s Play Store.
The exact menus depend on whether your watch runs Wear OS or older Tizen software. Galaxy Watch4 and newer models generally use Wear OS; the original Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, Active2, and Galaxy Watch3 use different Galaxy Wearable and Galaxy Store paths. Samsung also notes that menus can vary by model, phone, software version, carrier, and country.
Before you start
First identify your watch generation:
- Wear OS: Galaxy Watch4 series and newer Wear OS generations, including Watch5, Watch6, Watch7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra models.
- Tizen: Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Watch Active2, and Galaxy Watch3.
- Galaxy Fit: Galaxy Fit and Fit2 are separate products. Samsung says new watch faces cannot be downloaded for these devices.
Wear OS Galaxy Watches require a compatible Android phone for setup and management and are not compatible with iPhone. See Samsung’s compatibility guidance if you are unsure whether your phone can connect.
For phone-based installation or editing, install and connect the Galaxy Wearable app. If you are using the watch by itself, an already installed face can normally be selected without the phone. Downloading a new face directly may require an internet connection, a signed-in Google account, and enough battery and storage.
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- WHY GALAXY WATCH8: Advanced health and sleep tracking features.* A lighter, more snug design for all day comfort.* Improved user interface.* Personal AI assistant for hands free help.⁴* 2-Year Warranty.
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- NEW DESIGN. LIGHTWEIGHT FEEL: Maximize your days with a minimalist design. The sleek, thinner-than-ever silhouette makes Galaxy Watch8 look as good as it functions. With a snug fit and sporty style, it gives you readings without getting in your way.
- A PERSONAL ASSISTANT, RIGHT ON YOUR WRIST: Your Watch just became your personal assistant.⁴ Stay one step ahead of your day with a watch that helps you navigate your tasks and to-do lists.
Change an installed watch face on the watch
This is the fastest way to switch between faces already on your Galaxy Watch.
- Wake the watch and display the current watch face.
- Touch and hold the face. A short tap only wakes the screen or shows the face.
- Swipe left or right through the installed faces.
- Tap the face you want to use.
The selected design becomes the active home screen immediately. If you want to edit it instead, tap Customize when that option is shown.
These steps reflect Samsung’s current watch-face instructions, although the appearance and labels may differ between models and software versions.
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Use the installed-face carousel
- Touch and hold the current watch face.
- Swipe left through the installed faces until you reach the end.
- Tap Add watch face. Some versions may use a similar label such as More watch faces.
- Select a face and apply or install it.
This route is convenient when you want to browse from the same screen used to change faces.
Use the Play Store on a Wear OS watch
- Open Play Store on the watch.
- Open the watch-face browsing area. Depending on the interface, it may be labelled Watch faces or Browse watch faces.
- Choose a face.
- Tap Install, or use the purchase control shown for a paid face.
The Play Store route applies to Wear OS Galaxy Watches. It is not the correct general procedure for Tizen models such as Galaxy Watch3 or Galaxy Watch Active2, which use older Galaxy Store paths.
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Add a watch face with Galaxy Wearable
- Open Galaxy Wearable on the connected Android phone.
- Tap Watch faces, if that option appears directly.
- Depending on the watch generation, open Store, Explore Wear OS watch faces, or Featured watch faces.
- Browse or search for a face and select it.
- Tap the installation, download, purchase, or apply control shown.
On some Galaxy Watch5 interfaces, Watch faces appears on the Galaxy Wearable home screen rather than in the same store path used by other models. After installation, return to Watch faces and select the new design if it was not applied automatically.
Samsung’s watch-face support page documents the model-dependent paths. Do not worry if your menu does not match an online screenshot exactly.
Customize a Galaxy Watch face
Customize from the watch
- Touch and hold the current face.
- Swipe to the face you want to edit.
- Tap Customize.
- Swipe through the editing panels.
- Change the options provided by that face.
- Press the Home/Power key or use the on-screen confirmation control to finish, depending on the model.
Available controls can include hand style, hand colour, dial or background colour, digital or analogue layout, complications, app shortcuts, widgets, and health or fitness information.
Customize from Galaxy Wearable
- Open Galaxy Wearable.
- Tap Watch faces.
- Select the face.
- Tap Customize.
- Adjust the available controls.
- Tap Save.
Not every face supports customization. A fixed face may have no editing controls, while a third-party face may use a separate configuration app or its own instructions. If Customize does not appear, try another face before assuming the watch is faulty.
Add complications, shortcuts, and information
A watch face is the complete time-display design. A complication is an information or shortcut slot built into that design. A tile is a separate screen reached by swiping, not a part of the face itself.
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- WHY GALAXY WATCH8: Advanced health and sleep tracking features.* A lighter, more snug design for all day comfort.* Improved user interface.* Personal AI assistant for hands free help.⁴* 2-Year Warranty.
- SLEEP SMARTER. LIVE BETTER: Energize your days with a great night’s rest using Advanced Sleep Coaching¹ - improved with even more ways to keep your nights on track. Plus, Bedtime Guidance² helps you find your optimal bedtime.
- YOUR RUN, YOUR COACH: Step up your running routine with a Running Coach³ that analyzes your performance and gives you real-time feedback. Training for an event? Try specific programs built for 5Ks, marathons and more.
- NEW DESIGN. LIGHTWEIGHT FEEL: Maximize your days with a minimalist design. The sleek, thinner-than-ever silhouette makes Galaxy Watch8 look as good as it functions. With a snug fit and sporty style, it gives you readings without getting in your way.
- A PERSONAL ASSISTANT, RIGHT ON YOUR WRIST: Your Watch just became your personal assistant.⁴ Stay one step ahead of your day with a watch that helps you navigate your tasks and to-do lists.
While editing a compatible face, tap one of its available slots and select from the apps, health metrics, weather, calendar, battery information, or shortcuts offered. The choices depend on the face: one design may provide several slots while another provides none or only a few.
If the desired app or health metric is unavailable, choose a different face with a suitable complication slot. Managing tiles will not add information to the face; tiles are separate swipe-access screens, as explained in Samsung’s tile guidance.
Use a personal photo or image
Some Samsung faces support personal photos, image backgrounds, colours, or AR Emoji-style designs. This is not a universal feature. Select a face that explicitly supports photo backgrounds, then look for the image or background option under Customize.
If no photo option appears, the selected face or watch model may not support it. Samsung’s regional guidance on creating watch-face designs describes these features as dependent on the supported face and device.
Remove and restore a watch face
On newer Galaxy Watches, you can generally remove a face from the active face list as follows:
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- QUICK UPDATES, AT A GLANCE: Get updates, select apps and more with Now Bar³,⁴ and an improved user experience. Now Bar conveniently puts the info you use the most - like weather, news and more - right on your main Watch screen
- Touch and hold the current watch face.
- Swipe to the face you want to remove.
- Tap the minus icon or the available remove control.
On some versions, the control may instead appear after a longer press or under a similar menu. Removing a face from the active list does not necessarily permanently delete it. Samsung says it can generally be downloaded or installed again later.
If you cannot find the face afterward, check Galaxy Wearable or the relevant store and reinstall it. A paid face may still require the same account used for the original purchase.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Older Tizen Galaxy Watch instructions
Do not automatically follow Play Store instructions if you own a Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Watch Active2, or Galaxy Watch3. These models use older Tizen-era procedures and may use the Galaxy Store.
Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2
- Open Galaxy Wearable.
- Tap Watch faces.
- Browse the available designs.
- Tap Get more watch faces to find additional options.
From the watch, long-press the current face, swipe to Galaxy Store, select a face, and tap Install or Apply where shown.
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Original Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active
Samsung places additional face-discovery options under the Discover tab and the watch-face section in Galaxy Wearable. The exact labels can differ by app version and region. For model-specific instructions, use Samsung’s Galaxy Watch face support page.
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Choose a face that works well
Before installing a design, consider:
- Readability: Make sure the time remains clear in bright light and at a glance.
- Complications: Check that it provides the slots and data sources you actually need.
- Information density: More data can be useful, but crowded layouts may be harder to read.
- Battery use: Animated, highly detailed, or always-on designs may use more power than simpler faces.
- Compatibility: Confirm that the face supports your Wear OS or Tizen version, watch shape, and screen size.
- Privacy: Review permissions requested by third-party faces, especially for health, location, notifications, or other data.
- Price: Some faces are free, while others are paid or include in-app purchases. The current price is shown in the relevant Play Store or Galaxy Store listing.
Galaxy Watch face troubleshooting
“Add watch face” is missing
- Touch and hold the actual home/watch-face screen, not a tile or app.
- Swipe through the entire installed-face carousel.
- Look for Add watch face or More watch faces.
- Try Galaxy Wearable or, on Wear OS, the Play Store on the watch.
Menu names vary by model and software version.
“Customize” does not appear
The face may be fixed, may offer only limited editing, or may be a third-party design with separate controls. Select another face and check whether Customize appears. If the face is still synchronizing, update Galaxy Wearable and the watch if updates are offered, then restart both devices.
The face installed but is not visible
- Open Galaxy Wearable and confirm that installation completed.
- Long-press the face on the watch and inspect the complete carousel.
- Select the face manually.
- Restart the watch and phone.
- Reinstall the face if necessary.
If it is a third-party face, it may be incompatible with the watch or operating-system version. Contact the developer if reinstalling does not help.
The download is stuck
Check the watch or phone’s internet connection, account sign-in, battery level, available storage, and Bluetooth connection. Keep the phone and watch nearby while Galaxy Wearable completes synchronization. If the download remains stuck, restart both devices and try the installation again.
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This is common when comparing Wear OS and Tizen instructions. Labels can also vary with the Galaxy Wearable version, phone model, Android version, country, carrier, and watch software. Follow the route available on your specific device rather than looking for an identical menu name.
The desired complication or shortcut is unavailable
The selected face may not provide the required slot or data source. Switch to a face that supports the desired complication, then open its customization controls.
You use an iPhone
Wear OS Galaxy Watches such as Galaxy Watch4 and newer require Android for setup and management and are not compatible with iOS according to Samsung’s guidance. An iPhone user may therefore be unable to complete the normal connection and face-management process.
Quick reference
| Goal | Fastest route |
|---|---|
| Switch installed face | Long-press current face → swipe → tap a face |
| Add from the watch | Long-press → swipe to the end → Add watch face |
| Download on Wear OS | Play Store → watch-face section → Install |
| Add from the phone | Galaxy Wearable → Watch faces or store option → select → install |
| Customize | Long-press face → select face → Customize |
| Remove | Long-press face → select face → minus/remove control |
For official model-specific details, consult Samsung’s Wear OS watch-face instructions and its broader Galaxy Watch support guide.
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