Wearables
Google Wallet for Samsung Galaxy Watch gains support for 3 new countries
Google Wallet for Wear OS expands to more new markets, turning the global availability count to 60 countries. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 smartwatch users can now use the Google Wallet payment app in a total of 60 countries including 3 new, globally.
According to the info, Google announced that it is expanding support for Google Wallet to new countries including Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Kuwait. This expansion is not limited to just these three markets as the availability is expanded in 14 new countries since August 2022.
Since Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 lineups run the Wear OS operating system, Google Wallet became the biggest Samsung Pay alternative. People who prefer using Google Wallet to make payments from their wrist can rejoice as availability is expanding to more countries.
You can easily use the Google Wallet on your Samsung smartwatch. To do so, first ensure the Google Wallet app is installed on your watch, if not, download it from Play Store for free. It’s worth mentioning that Google Wallet won’t work if your watch is running Wear OS 3 and paired with Apple iPhone.
Notably, the Google Wallet app gives you fast, secure access to your everyday essentials. As the preferability of contactless payments is increasing rapidly, you just need to use Google Wallet app on your Galaxy Watch or smartphone to make payments to board a flight, go to a movie, and more.
New additions since August include the following:
- Armenia
- Costa Rica
- Cyprus
- Ecuador
- Georgia
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kuwait
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Galaxy Watch x Wear OS
Samsung ditched the Tizen OS and brought the One UI Watch operating system based on Wear OS. The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 series devices are currently running the latest Wear OS 3.5-based One UI Watch 4.5. It delivers a great user experience, health tools, customization capabilities, and a lot more.
On July 10, Samsung launched the smallest and most compact product within the Galaxy lineup, the Galaxy Ring. It offers several innovative health management functions along with an exciting way to control your phone using simple gestures. You can easily activate gesture features on your Galaxy Ring.
Samsung Galaxy Ring’s gesture feature lets you turn on an alarm or take a photo or video while the camera app is running by double-clicking your finger and thumb while wearing the ring.
How to activate gestures on Galaxy Ring :
To use the Galaxy Ring’s gesture controls, follow these steps:
- Open the Galaxy Wearable app on the smartphone connected to the Galaxy Ring.
- Navigate to the “Gestures” section within the Galaxy Ring’ Settings.
- Choose which functions you want to control with gestures. Options include dismissing an alarm or taking a photo or video.
After you have chosen your desired functions, you can start using them by performing a simple gesture. To dismiss an alarm or capture a photo or video, double-tap with your finger and thumb while wearing the Galaxy Ring. This gesture will start the selected function without needing to touch your phone.
If you have a Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Z Flip 6 model, you can start using these features. This feature will be extended to other Galaxy devices through future software updates.
Galaxy Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring features a sleek design with dimensions of 7.0 mm x 2.6 mm, 24-hour-a-day health monitoring, long-lasting battery from 18mAh (Size 5) to 23.5mAh (Size 13), Galaxy AI features, and more.
Moreover, the Galaxy Ring provides comprehensive health insights and analysis via the Samsung Health app without any additional fees. It gives detailed metrics on sleep patterns, including movement, sleep latency, heart rate, and breathing rate during sleep. It also introduces Energy score and Wellness tips for daily health insights.
Samsung finally releases Galaxy Ring: Here’s all you need to know
Samsung Galaxy Ring is cheapest in South Korea followed by the US. The company’s first ring-type wearable is available for pre-order in six countries. Of these countries, Korea is the cheapest while the UK is the most expensive Galaxy Ring market.
Galaxy Ring pricing data gathered by AndroidAuthority shows that the product is the cheapest in South Korea. In US dollar terms, Samsung is selling the Galaxy Ring for $360, translated from the 499,400 Korean won retail price.
Samsung is selling the Galaxy Ring for $400 in the United States. The pricing decision makes it $40 more expensive than South Korea. It costs $412 (2,999 CNY) in China, $489 (440 EUR) in Germany and France, and $515 (399 GBP) in the UK.
As of now, the Korean tech giant is availing the Galaxy Ring in two Asian and three European countries alongside the United States. Notably, the US price in the below-mentioned chart doesn’t include sales tax, which could be approximately $40 or $45.
Samsung will put the Galaxy Ring on general sale on July 24, 2024. If you travel abroad, you will be able to save some money on your Ring purchase. However, your trip destination should be South Korea or China to have travel discount perks.
The general availability will commence the day after tomorrow. We expect US e-commerce platforms would bring some sharp discounts for local shoppers in the US. Amazon and Best Buy may put the Galaxy Ring on sale, bringing additional discounts.
Well, it would take time for Galaxy Ring to see any significant price reduction. It all depends on the popularity of the product and production volume. If the product becomes hit, forget about any severe cash discount for at least 6 months.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is available in 9 different sizes. Pre-order your Ring to claim early buyer perks and faster delivery at your doorstep. You can also opt for a Sizing Kit, which will help you determine the perfect Ring size for yourself.
Samsung has pushed a new update for its Galaxy Store app, specifically for Galaxy smartwatches running Wear OS 5 with One UI 6 Watch Beta. This update can be identified via version 1.0.06.8 and enhances the overall performance.
The latest update enhances user experience by improving the performance and reliability of the Galaxy Store app on Samsung wearable devices. It includes fixes for known issues to ensure smoother operations. However, it does not contain any new features or changes.
The update is compatible with Galaxy devices running Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch Beta. Samsung advises users to update promptly to enjoy the improved features and stability offered by version 1.0.06.8.
Users can easily access and install the update through the Galaxy Store app itself. Also, you can download the update directly from the third-party app source link mentioned here.
With version 1.0.06.8 of the Galaxy Store app, users of One UI 6 Watch Beta can expect a more stable and efficient app experience on their Samsung wearable devices.
One UI 6 Watch Beta
In early July 2024, Samsung released the One UI 6 Watch Beta 3 update for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series with version ZXG3. The same version update rolled out for the Galaxy Watch 5 series with July 2024 security patch. The update brought a bunch of enhancements to improve user experience and address existing issues.
The update arrived with improved system stability and optimized performance to address issues related to battery consumption and application execution speed. Also, it enhanced network interoperability to provide better connectivity experiences.
The Beta update is not without its known issues. Users noticed an issue where the Always-On Display (AOD) fails to deactivate when the watch is not being worn after installing this update.
Aside from this, Samsung will soon make the stable One UI 6 Watch available for Wear OS watches. It is expected to bring several new features and improvements to enhance the Galaxy Watch experience.
One UI 6 Watch Beta 3 live for Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series