Samsung Starts Testing Wear OS 5 on Galaxy Watch 6

Samsung played a huge part in reviving Wear OS when it partnered with Google for Wear OS 4. Thanks to the partnership, Wear OS smartwatches could reportedly sell half as much as Apple Watches. With Google gearing up for the launch of Wear OS 5 for its upcoming I/O event, it looks like Samsung has already started testing the upcoming version on one of its devices.

First spotted by Matthew on X (formerly Twitter), the test firmware is R965USQU1BXD8 for the model SM-R965U. This is the model number of Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, meaning the device is in testing phase.

The firmware belongs to the carrier-locked version of the Galaxy Watch 6 in the US. While we do not have any more info about the same, it looks like the initial testing has commenced.

As for the Wear OS 5 features, Google hasn’t revealed or said much other than “building better experiences”. If all goes according to plan, we should see Samsung roll out the first Wear OS 5.0 beta as early as June for a select group of users.

Google’s Pixel Watch and Watch 2 aren’t yet added to the Beta program, which was supposed to arrive shortly. However, we should hopefully hear more about it in I/O. The event should hopefully also address the unknown Wear OS smartwatch that surfaced a few weeks ago.

Besides, Google will also reveal more about Android 15, a slew of AI features in Gemini, and the most awaited mid-range, the Pixel 8a. There’s also a lot of developer stuff to come in the developer keynote, ChromeOS, and Android Automotive.

What are your expectations from the Google I/O 2024, particularly Wear OS 5.0? What other things are you excited to see in Google I/O? Let us know in the comments below.