These Popular Samsung Galaxy Watches Will No Longer Have Software Support After 2027

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Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch line is a popular choice in the space, with the brand holding the fourth-largest share of the global smartwatch market behind Xiaomi, Apple and Huawei. But as with all things technology, they don’t last forever. By this we don’t mean that the watch will suddenly stop working. Rather, support and updates will stop being offered at some point.

This means that unlike the Casio digital wristwatch you’ve owned since middle school, after 2027, some Samsung smartwatches will lose access to operating system updates and the new features they bring. But which Samsung smartwatches will be on the verge of disappearing in 2027, and should users be worried? The short answer is no, because unsupported watches will continue to work after 2027. But the longer answer is yes, especially if you’re concerned about future Wear OS features and have security concerns.

This brings us to an important distinction: For the Galaxy Watch models covered in this article, Samsung stops offering Wear OS upgrades about a year before the company stops releasing security patches. Since the end of OS upgrades means that a watch stops receiving new features and starts moving towards its end of life, that’s the date we’ll focus on for this list. So, to be clear, if you already own one of the following devices, you still have time to enjoy them – but don’t expect any new features after the end of 2027.

Official Galaxy Watch 6 OS upgrades will end in December 2027, after which Samsung will offer users about another year of intermittent security patches. For reference, during this past year of security maintenance for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic (which just reached their end-of-life date of August 2026), Samsung has released four security updates, with the first two also containing some stability improvements.

So, after December 2027, you shouldn’t expect any new features or usability improvements on your Galaxy Watch 6. But again, that doesn’t mean the watch will be outright useless by 2028 – on the contrary, major security issues will still be resolved in that final year, and it should still work fine while looking great on your wrist even after its end-of-life date. In the meantime, you might want to enable all the essential features your Galaxy Watch is capable of to improve usability a bit.

The only device we’ll discuss today that you can still find for sale new online (with a price that typically falls below $225 these days), the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a great all-around wearable with a timeless look. Even today, many users believe that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is the most amazing smartwatch ever released by Samsung.

Since the Watch 6 Classic debuted alongside the standard Galaxy Watch 6 in August 2023, Samsung’s four-year OS upgrade policy only extends through 2027. After that date, security patches are expected to continue for another year, although Samsung is making no promises about the quantity or cadence of those patches.

Again, you shouldn’t expect any new features or usability improvements after December 2027, but you can continue to use the watch for a decent period of time beyond that date. If current models hold, you’ll at least be protected against major security breaches until August 2028 – and even after that expected end-of-life date, the watch should continue to work indefinitely. You’ll just need to keep an eye out for potential security breaches that could compromise your data, and if you hear about them in the news, it’s probably best to find a replacement at this point.

While the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic are the only two Samsung smartwatches expected to lose OS upgrade support in 2027, there are two other models we should talk about here. The Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro are expected to see their final Wear OS upgrades in 2026 before security patch support ends in 2027.

Released in August 2022, the Galaxy Watch 5 came with a lot of cool features, the most notable being the fact that you could charge your Galaxy Watch 5 to 50% in just 30 minutes. At the time, reviews from tech experts and consumers were positive, with many saying the Galaxy Watch 5 was the best Android-based smartwatch on the market. After this strong performance, Samsung is expected to end Wear OS updates for the model in December 2026. That said, security patches are expected to continue until 2027, months after support for the operating system ends.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro also finds itself with a mention for fairly expected reasons, given that it comes from the same product line. If you already own a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, you’ll receive updates in the same time frame as the Galaxy Watch 5, so you may miss out on OS upgrades by the end of 2026 and security patches by 2027. If you’re still using one of these wearables, just make sure to stop doing certain things on your Galaxy Watch and you’ll keep it alive long after support ends.

If you already own a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 or Watch 6 Classic, you might be tempted to upgrade soon. Although you’re covered through 2027, there are a few options you should know about if sales appear. Most notably, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is an alternative to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, especially for those who want a more traditional watch design. While not the newest in the Galaxy Watch line, our review noted that the Watch 8 Classic was one of the best Android wearables money could buy when it was released. And with OS upgrade support through 2029, you’ll be covered for years to come.

But if you’re looking to upgrade from something older, like the Galaxy Watch 5 line, or just want to save a few bucks, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE could be the perfect short-term upgrade. You can usually find a refurbished Galaxy Watch FE online for just under $100, which makes it a great choice because you also get OS upgrade support until December 2028. That’s not a bad value proposition if you’re currently carrying an older Galaxy Watch and are looking for an affordable upgrade.