The watches that brought Samsung to Wear OS are ending. After five years

Five years after their launch, it’s done. Samsung has removed the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic smartwatches from its security update overview page, formally ending their software support. The last package arrived in August 2026 and contained basic security fixes — no further updates are planned.

Watches that made history

The Watch 4 series was no ordinary model. It was with this series that Samsung abandoned its proprietary Tizen system in 2021 and switched to Wear OS, which it had developed jointly with Google at the time. It was a fundamental turning point that boosted the entire Android smartwatch platform. Ironically, the interface itself remained surprisingly faithful in appearance and operation to what users knew from Tizen — the change primarily happened under the hood.

They will continue to function, but with reservations

Owners’ watches will not turn off, of course. However, the end of updates is not just a cosmetic matter. There will be a lack of security patches, bug fixes, and compatibility adjustments, which can be particularly unpleasant for those who use the watches for contactless payments. Furthermore, third-party applications may eventually stop working correctly.

The oldest supported models from now on are the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, which, however, are heading for the same fate soon. Five years of support is not bad in the context of wearable electronics — but for watches costing ten thousand, the question is whether it couldn’t be longer.

Is the end of updates a reason for you to replace your watch, or will you continue to wear it?

Source: Notebookcheck, Samsung