Fixing the Common Issue: Galaxy Watch Face Stopped Working After Software Update

The Galaxy Watch series gets a major update, but watch out for this one compatibility issue

For months, Samsung has been keeping the Galaxy Watch series in the dark. Well, that changed when the first big update rolled out, bringing Wear OS 5 to the mix. While it’s a welcomed change, it comes with a catch – especially for watch face fans. If your Galaxy Watch’s watch face has stopped working after the latest update, you’re about to find out why.

The switch to Wear OS

Remember when Samsung moved from Tizen to Wear OS on the Galaxy Watch 4? That opened the gates to a wider variety of watch faces available through the Play Store. But with Wear OS 5, Google has made some changes to how watch faces work.

Watch face woes: The new format

The latest Wear OS 5 update solely supports the new "Watch Face Format," a format developed by Google and Samsung to conserve battery life. Although it’s a great long-term fix, it means many older Wear OS watch faces are no longer compatible with the new update. These faces are no longer supported, including those that use executable code, a common practice in the past.

What does this mean for your Galaxy Watch?

Samsung has confirmed that watch faces that don’t meet Google’s updated policy (i.e., missing Watch Face Format) are no longer compatible with the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. The new One UI 6 Watch update, which is rolling out to the Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 5, and Watch 6, is based on Wear OS 5. Unfortunately, it may end up disabling some watch faces on your smartwatch.

Facer, a popular app, is affected too

One of the most significant examples of this is Facer, a well-known app with a vast marketplace of watch faces designed for Wear OS smartwatches. Although there’s an effort to bring the app to Wear OS 5, it’s currently not compatible. Some faces have been ported to the Play Store, but if you’ve been using Facer, the latest Galaxy Watch update will break compatibility.

Summary

The Galaxy Watch series gets a major update, but beware of this potential compatibility issue. Older watch faces might cease to function after the latest update, and some popular apps may be affected. Before diving into the update, take a moment to review your watch faces to ensure a smooth transition to Wear OS 5.