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Samsung began rolling out the stable One UI 8 Watch update, based on Wear OS 6, to the first-generation Galaxy Watch Ultra on July 22, 2025. The phased release brought several Galaxy Watch8-era features to the 2024 Ultra, including Running Coach, Vascular Load, Antioxidant Index, Multi-Info Tiles and the Now Bar.
This update applies to the Galaxy Watch Ultra released in 2024. The newer 2025 Galaxy Watch Ultra launched with One UI 8 Watch already installed.
What the update includes
One UI 8 Watch is Samsung’s smartwatch software, not the smartphone version of One UI 8. On the 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra, it also includes the underlying Wear OS 6 platform upgrade.
Running Coach
Running Coach creates more personalized running guidance based on a user’s running level and provides coaching during workouts. It is a fitness and motivation feature, not a replacement for professional athletic or medical advice.
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- USE YESTERDAY TO BEAT TODAY: Meet your biggest competition — you; Challenge yourself to perform at your peak on your next run or bike ride using tracking with Galaxy AI²; It lets you compare your current performance to your last one³
- KNOW YOUR SCORE. OWN YOUR DAY: Get personalized insights that help you perform at your peak every day; Know your physical readiness using Energy Score with Galaxy AI²; It calculates a score based on yesterday’s sleep, heart rate and steps⁴
- PERSONALIZED TIPS TO UNLOCK THE BEST YOU: Stay at your best using daily personalized suggestions from Wellness Tips⁵; Gain information based on insights collected by your Watch and analyzed on your phone
- MORE PRECISE HEART RATE TRACKING: Zero in on more precise readings during workouts using Heart Rate Tracking with Galaxy AI⁴ that filters out the physical movements of your body; Insights are collected by your Watch and analyzed on your phone
Vascular Load
Vascular Load is designed to provide insight into vascular or cardiovascular strain, including information associated with sleep. It should be treated as a wellness metric rather than a clinical measurement or diagnosis.
Antioxidant Index
Antioxidant Index uses the watch’s health sensors to provide an estimate related to antioxidant levels and lifestyle habits. It offers general health guidance; it does not diagnose nutritional deficiencies or other medical conditions.
Bedtime Guidance
Bedtime Guidance analyzes sleep patterns and recommends an appropriate bedtime. Samsung’s availability caveat applies here too: features can differ by market, device model and paired smartphone.
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Interface changes
Multi-Info Tiles combine information such as health data, weather and other watch content into a more useful at-a-glance view. The redesigned interface is optimized for a small smartwatch display, while the Now Bar keeps ongoing activities or functions visible without requiring repeated navigation.
Samsung describes these changes as usability improvements. The available rollout information does not establish a specific performance or battery-life improvement.
Where and when it became available
Samsung announced the rollout on July 22, 2025, using a sequential release rather than an instantaneous worldwide launch. Availability depended on the country, software region, connectivity variant, carrier and paired phone.
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- RUGGED. RELIABLE. READY FOR ANYTHING: Climb the highest peak; Bike the long way home; The durable titanium design is our toughest yet, able to stand up to the rigors of your workout, including rainy or dusty conditions — even ocean swimming¹
- USE YESTERDAY TO BEAT TODAY: Meet your biggest competition — you; Challenge yourself to perform at your peak on your next run or bike ride using tracking with Galaxy AI²; It lets you compare your current performance to your last one³
- KNOW YOUR SCORE. OWN YOUR DAY: Get personalized insights that help you perform at your peak every day; Know your physical readiness using Energy Score with Galaxy AI²; It calculates a score based on yesterday’s sleep, heart rate and steps⁴
- PERSONALIZED TIPS TO UNLOCK THE BEST YOU: Stay at your best using daily personalized suggestions from Wellness Tips⁵; Gain information based on insights collected by your Watch and analyzed on your phone
- MORE PRECISE HEART RATE TRACKING: Zero in on more precise readings during workouts using Heart Rate Tracking with Galaxy AI⁴ that filters out the physical movements of your body; Insights are collected by your Watch and analyzed on your phone
In the United States, SamMobile reported the first rollout for some AT&T and T-Mobile-connected units. That report identified firmware L705USQU1BYFE, a download of approximately 1.95GB and the May 2025 security patch. Those details describe a particular U.S. carrier build, not a universal specification for every Ultra.
Samsung also warned that features and availability could vary by market, model and paired smartphone. Bluetooth and LTE versions may therefore receive the software at different times, and carrier approval can delay LTE updates.
How to install One UI 8 Watch
- Open Galaxy Wearable on the paired phone.
- Open Watch settings.
- Select Watch software update.
- Tap Download and install.
- When prompted, select Install now.
Menu labels can vary slightly with the phone and Galaxy Wearable app version. Before starting, charge the watch, keep it near the phone, use a stable Wi-Fi connection where possible and allow the watch to reboot. Do not interrupt it while firmware installation is in progress.
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If the update does not appear
- Confirm that the watch is the 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra.
- Update Galaxy Wearable and the watch plug-in on the paired phone.
- Place the watch on its charger and check again.
- Use a stable Wi-Fi connection and preserve enough phone storage for the download.
- Wait and retry later; staged rollouts do not reach every device simultaneously.
- If the update appears but fails, restart both the phone and watch before trying again.
- For LTE models, remember that carrier approval can affect timing.
- Do not sideload firmware from unofficial sources.
Changing the phone’s region, using a VPN or resetting the watch should not be treated as supported ways to force the update. They can create additional problems and are not established solutions for this rollout.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you install it immediately?
Installing makes sense if the update is available and you want Wear OS 6, the newer interface and the additional fitness and health tools. A cautious owner may wait briefly if the watch is needed for an important trip, race or tracking routine, if storage or battery is low, or if a critical third-party app has not yet been checked after the platform upgrade.
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After installation, check health-data availability, battery behavior over several charge cycles, notifications, Bluetooth or LTE connectivity, third-party apps, GPS workout recording, watch faces and Tile layouts. The available rollout material does not establish a comprehensive official bug list for this build, so isolated user reports should not be treated as confirmed defects.
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Why the model-year distinction matters
The original 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra received One UI 8 Watch as a software update. The 2025 Galaxy Watch Ultra shipped with the software already installed, so it is not the subject of this rollout. The Galaxy Watch8 generation also introduced these features, while the Galaxy Watch7 was still awaiting its stable release during the initial Ultra rollout.
Samsung’s announcement is the primary source for the rollout date and feature list. Samsung also published a U.S. announcement and a Korean rollout notice.
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