These Popular Samsung Galaxy Watches Won’t Have Software Support After 2027

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Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartwatches are popular choices in the space, with the brand holding the fourth-largest share of the global smartwatch market under Xiaomi, Apple, and Huawei. But as with all things tech, they don’t last forever. We don’t mean this in the sense that the watch will suddenly stop working — rather, support and updates will stop being offered at some point down the road.

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

That brings us to an important distinction: For the Galaxy Watch models in this article’s purview, Samsung stops offering Wear OS upgrades about a year before the company ceases issuing security patches. Since the end of OS upgrades means a watch stops receiving new features and starts transitioning toward 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 have some time left to enjoy it — just don’t expect any new features after 2027 ends.

Official OS upgrades for the Galaxy Watch 6 will end in December 2027, after which point Samsung will offer users around another year of intermittent security patches. For reference, during that final security-maintenance year for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic (which just reached their end-of-life dates in August 2026), Samsung issued four security updates, with the first two containing a few stability improvements as well.

So after December 2027, you shouldn’t expect any new features or usability enhancements on your Galaxy Watch 6. But again, this doesn’t mean the watch will be outright useless by 2028 — to the contrary, major security issues will still be fixed over that final year, and it should still run smoothly 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 give things a bit of a usability boost.

The only device we’ll be discussing today that you can still find selling new online (with a price that typically falls under $225 these days), the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a great all-around wearable with a timeless look. Even now, many users feel that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is the most stunning smartwatch that Samsung ever released.

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 point, security patches are slated to continue for another year, though Samsung doesn’t make any promises about the quantity or cadence of these patches.

So again, you shouldn’t expect any new features or usability improvements after December 2027, but you can keep using the watch a decent amount of time beyond that date. If current patterns hold, you’ll at least be protected against major security vulnerabilities until August 2028 — and even after that projected end-of-life date, the watch should continue to work indefinitely. You’ll just need to keep an eye out for potential security loopholes that could compromise your data, and if you hear about any in the news, it would probably be best to find a replacement at that point.

While the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic are the only two Samsung smartwatches slated to lose OS-upgrade support in 2027, there are two more models that 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.

Releasing in August 2022, the Galaxy Watch 5 came packed with a lot of cool features, with the most notable being the fact that you could charge your Galaxy Watch 5 to 50% in only 30 minutes. Reviews at the time from tech experts and consumers were positive, with many claiming the Galaxy Watch 5 was the best Android-based smartwatch on the market. After this great run, Samsung is expected to end Wear OS updates for the model in December 2026. That said, security patches should continue through 2027, months after OS support ends.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro also ends up with a mention for pretty expected reasons, considering it comes from the same product line. If you already own a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, you’ll get updates in the same time frame as the Galaxy Watch 5, so you’re projected to lose OS upgrades by the end of 2026 and security patches by 2027. If you’re still rocking one of these wearables, just be sure to stop doing a few things on your Galaxy Watch and you’ll keep it alive long after support ends.

If you already have a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 or Watch 6 Classic, you might be tempted to upgrade soon. While you are covered through 2027, there are a few options you should be aware of if sales pop up. Most notably, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic works as an alternative to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, especially for those wanting a more traditional watch design. While not the newest in the Galaxy Watch lineup, our review noted that the Watch 8 Classic was one of the best Android wearables money could buy upon release. And with OS-upgrade support through 2029, you’ll be covered for years to come.

But if you are looking to upgrade from something older, such as the Galaxy Watch 5 line, or simply want to save a few dollars, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE might make for the perfect shorter-term upgrade. You can commonly find a refurbished Galaxy Watch FE online for just under $100, making it a great choice as you also get OS-upgrade support until December 2028. That’s not a bad value proposition if you’re currently wearing an older Galaxy Watch and looking for an affordable upgrade.