Samsung starts rolling out the first Galaxy Watch 4 beta app, but not the OTA just yet

Ben Schoon | Jun 1 2022 - 9:19 am PT

A day ahead of the big launch, Samsung is rolling out the app needed for the Galaxy Watch 4 beta program, but the final step has yet to surface.

Galaxy Watch 4 beta app is available now

Samsung announced last month that the Galaxy Watch 4 would see a beta program, still based on Wear OS of course, to test out a new version of the “One UI Watch” skin. What’s actually new in the update remains to be seen, but Samsung is laying the groundwork for the update today.

Pointed out on Twitter, and shown off below courtesy of our Max Weinbach, Samsung is currently rolling out the app that distributes the Galaxy Watch 4 beta via the Galaxy Store. The app installs over the existing Galaxy Watch 4 plugin and serves the same function, making the Galaxy Wearable app compatible with Samsung’s smartwatch.

The only way to get the app currently is to sign up for the Galaxy Watch 4 beta through the Samsung Members app, as we detailed last week.

Currently, there are no noticeable differences in the Galaxy Wearable app after installing this update – we’ll be taking a look under the hood soon –, but that’s not entirely surprising given the OTA has yet to arrive. Presumably, there’s some possibilty that the update will unlock some new features in the app, but only time will tell for now.

But the OTA hasn’t arrived just yet

Samsung previously announced that the actual OTA, the update on the Watch 4, would be available starting on June 2. At the time of publishing, June 2 has arrived for Samsung’s home region of South Korea, so the OTA should be rolling out over the next 24 hours or so.

This first Galaxy Watch 4 beta program requires that you have a Samsung smartphone, as the app is needed to use the update and only available via the Galaxy Store. The update will be available to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, but not in their LTE variants.

Stay tuned for more on Samsung’s new beta.

Max Weinbach contributed to this article.