If you own a Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, you might want to hold off on that software update. What should've been a revitalization for Samsung's popular 2021 smartwatch is instead causing headaches for some users. It appears that the One UI 8 Watch update, which is based on Wear OS 6 and started appearing on Galaxy Watch 4 models in early December, is causing more harm than good.

Several users are reporting that, instead of improving the watch, the update is causing the sensors to malfunction. I imagine how frustrating it is when something that's supposed to enhance your experience actually breaks it. In one example, a user on the Samsung Community forum reported that, following the update, their watch no longer detects when it's being worn on the wrist. Because wrist detection isn't working, important health features, such as ECG and body composition (BIA), become unusable. The device constantly locks itself if you're using a PIN, because it incorrectly assumes you've taken it off your wrist.

It gets even stranger, as the user found that placing the watch face on the inside of their wrist – basically, the palm side – would occasionally trick the sensors into working. Standard troubleshooting steps, such as clearing the cache, haven't fixed the issue. It's worth noting that I've experienced similar sensor quirks with older smartwatches after updates, so it doesn't surprise me.

It's not only the sensors that are acting up, because, according to some Reddit users, the One UI 8 Watch update is also draining the Galaxy Watch 4's battery and preventing Samsung's watch faces from loading correctly. There are also reports that the Always-On Display feature stops functioning after the update.

To be fair to Samsung, keeping older devices running smoothly is challenging, particularly in the fast-paced world of wearables. However, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is still a popular option, especially because of its physical rotating bezel. The One UI 8 Watch update was intended to keep these watches useful for another year, but upgrading older hardware with new software always carries some risk. In this instance, it appears the older sensors didn't handle the update very well. Hopefully, Samsung will address this soon.

If you haven't updated yet, I'd advise waiting. Given the number of complaints, it's likely that Samsung is aware of the problem, and there are reports that the update rollout has been paused in some regions.