Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 getting huge new update during S22 launch day
Improved sleep tracking and fitness features abound
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Samsunghas announced a new fitness upgrade that sees it bringing much-needed fitness and wellness features to theGalaxy Watch 4andWatch 4 Classic- two of thebest smartwatcheson the market in our tests.
The headline upgrades focus heavily around fitness and wellness: users will now get a 30-day trial of the Chris Hemsworth-helmed Centr training platform (which is a pretty decent upgrade, as it’s listed as one of ourbest home workout apps), as well as improved sleep insights.
The tie-in with Centr isn’t just limited to the trial of the program, but also uses the body composition insights from the service to give better understanding of a user’s overall health.
Users of the Watch 4 range will need to wear the device for 5 weekday nights and 2 weekend nights to get the new insights, which will (in association with two surveys from the user) will give coaching and article recommendations to help users gain more restful slumber.
For some reason, Samsung will also ascribe users a ‘sleep animal’ to show what kind of sleeper they are, although it’s unclear if this is for anything other than odd cuteness.
Witness the fitness (upgrade)
The other big upgrade is to the fitness app, where users will be able to set intervals for their training sessions on bike or foot, It’s rather rudimentary, but a key feature of improved fitness that many will have previously downloaded a separate app to achieve.
That’s joined by the ability - to be available ‘in the coming months’ - for users to choose betweenGoogle AssistantorBixbyas the voice assistant on the Watch 4 - that’s hardly going to be a difficult choice, we’d imagine.
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Samsung is furthering its WearOS relationship withGoogleby allowingYouTubeMusic users to stream music over Wi-Fi or LTE without needing the phone nearby. However, given thatSpotify support allows for downloading of tracks for offline use, this doesn’t sound as impressive.
Samsung is also unveiling a greater range of watch faces and straps for the Watch 4 and Watch 4 classic, which will be available late February.
The new software will be available to download from February 9, the same day that theSamsung Galaxy S22is set to launch - it’s likely this will be referenced during the presentation (and don’t forget - we’ve got all the information onhow to watch the Galaxy S22 live streamright here).
Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.
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