Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 gets a significant free upgrade to improve the display

If you're a Galaxy Watch 6 owner, head into the Wearable app for your free update

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Quick summary

A recent update caused touchscreen responsiveness issues on Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.

A new update that fixes this problem is now rolling out globally.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is one of the best smartwatches on the market - and it's about to get better thanks to this upgrade.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 was announced in July 2023, updating the Galaxy Watch 5 and continuing the partnership between Samsung and Google, offering a great Wear OS experience and making Samsung's watch one of the top choices for Android users.

There's an update coming that will improve the experience too. Updates don't happen with great regularity on the Samsung Galaxy Watch devices, but following an update in March 2023, users reported problems with the responsiveness when touching the screen. That manifested itself as slow responses, or even a complete lack of a reaction to touch.

The new update first appeared in Korea, according to Android Headlines, but now appears to have a global roll-out and should fix the issue, making your Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic significantly better.

To check on the status of your watch and see if the update is now available for your device, head into the Galaxy Wearable app and check the settings.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 offers a full range of connected features, perfect for Samsung Galaxy phone users, but equally attractive to those using other Android devices. It offers a comprehensive range of health and fitness features and a compact and elegant design.

At the same time, the Watch 6 didn't change a huge amount over the previous iteration, the Galaxy Watch 5. It's uncertain whether old Galaxy Watch devices will be affected by the same touchscreen issue and if they will also receive an update, but it's always worth checking that you're running the latest software, regardless of the device model that you have.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 might not have that much longer in the limelight, however. It's expected that Samsung will announce a new version of the Galaxy Watch in July - perhaps alongside the announcement of new Galaxy Fold devices. At the moment it's not clear what new updates Samsung might bring to its Watch family, but many prospective customers are likely to be looking for a shake-up in design.

For those with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 who experienced touch responsiveness after the previous update, thankfully there's now a fix - and your Galaxy Watch experience should be so much better as a result.

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Chris Hall

Chris has been writing about consumer tech for over 15 years. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint, he's covered just about every product launched, witnessed the birth of Android, the evolution of 5G, and the drive towards electric cars. You name it and Chris has written about it, driven it or reviewed it. Now working as a freelance technology expert, Chris' experience sees him covering all aspects of smartphones, smart homes and anything else connected. Chris has been published in titles as diverse as Computer Active and Autocar, and regularly appears on BBC News, BBC Radio, Sky, Monocle and Times Radio. He was once even on The Apprentice... but we don't talk about that.