Samsung has detailed new One UI 8 Watch features which will be available to eligible Galaxy Watch users. “Every incremental improvement to daily habits contribute to a healthier whole, and the upcoming One UI 8 Watch is designed to help build these habits more effectively through a suite of new features that support sleep, heart health, fitness and nutrition,” said the company.
One of the new One UI 8 Watch features is Bedtime Guidance. Through this, your watch will recommend an optimal bedtime based on individual lifestyle and sleep patterns along with reminders to help users stay consistent. By analyzing sleep data from the past three days, the feature evaluates both sleep pressure and circadian rhythm to suggest a bedtime that maximizes alertness the next day.
This feature is especially helpful for those recovering from periods of irregular sleep. If users go to bed later than planned for several days or follow inconsistent schedules between weekdays and weekends, Bedtime Guidance will consider these factors to help ensure sufficient rest.
Then there’s the Vascular Load feature using which users can receive insights into vascular load and the stress placed on their vascular system if they wear their Galaxy Watch to sleep. Samsung notes that measuring Vascular load is vital as the vascular system carries blood throughout the body to deliver oxygen and nutrients while removing waste, making it a key indicator of heart health.
During sleep, stress on the vascular system should naturally decrease. However, excessive fluctuations may negatively impact cardiovascular health. Furthermore, Vascular Load also provides insight into lifestyle components such as sleep, exercise and stress — helping users maintain a healthier routine and build positive habits.
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One UI 8 Watch features also includes Running Coach which is designed to help users train safely for marathons through optimized intensity and injury-preventive routines, making it ideal for beginners. The feature offers motivation and real-time guidance, creating a personalized training program based on the runner’s fitness level.
By wearing the Galaxy Watch and running for 12 minutes, users receive a performance analysis and a running level score from 1 to 10. Based on this data, a detailed training plan is generated to support completion of a 5K, 10K, half marathon or full marathon. As users complete sessions, they level up and unlock their next running challenge.
Finally, there’s the Antioxidant Index. The Galaxy Watch can measure carotenoids — antioxidants found in green and orange fruits and vegetables — that are stored in the skin. Antioxidant Index uses an industry-first feature to assess carotenoid levels in just five seconds via an advanced, light-activated BioActive Sensor. These insights can reflect behavioral changes. For example, drinking carrot juice may result in a measurable change in the index, offering motivation to adopt healthier habits.
Notably, Samsung has dropped support for Galaxy Watch 4 series starting with One UI 8 Watch, as one of the footnotes of the blog post where the features were detailed, mentions, that the beta program is available only for Galaxy Watch 5 series or later released Galaxy Watch series. While Samsung may still provide security updates to the Watch 4 series, major OS updates may not be made available anymore as the Watch has reached its EOL timeline. The Watch 4 series debuted in 2021 and were Samsung’s first Wear OS-based watches.