One UI Watch devices#

Device Compatibility Note: This guide applies to modern Samsung Galaxy Watches running Wear OS / One UI Watch (Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 5, Watch 6, Watch 7, Watch 8, Watch 9,Watch FE, and Watch Ultra).

If you are using an older Samsung watch running Tizen OS (such as Galaxy Watch 3, Gear S3, or Gear Sport), please head over to our Legacy Samsung Gear / Galaxy Watch Guide.

Supported One UI Watch Models#

  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 / Watch 4 Classic
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 / Watch 5 Pro
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 / Watch 6 Classic
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 / Watch Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 / Watch 8 Classic
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 / Watch Ultra 2
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

Supported Features#

  • Movement & Sleep Tracking: Smooth real-time motion tracking.
  • Heart Rate (HR) Monitoring: Continuous heart rate tracking overnight.
  • Progressive Gentle Alarm Vibrations: Gentle wrist vibrations that start slow and steadily increase to wake you up naturally.
  • Snooze & Dismiss via Watch: Control phone alarms directly from your wrist.

Platform Limitations on One UI Watch: Samsung restricts third-party app access to raw SpO2 (blood oxygen) and HRV (Heart Rate Variability) sensors on One UI Watch devices. These metrics cannot currently be streamed directly to third-party sleep tracking apps, however you can use Health Connect to sync the missing data for the graph.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide#

Step 1: Install the Watch Companion App#

  1. Make sure your Galaxy Watch is connected to your phone via the Galaxy Wearable app.
  2. Open the Google Play Store on your watch.
  3. Search for Sleep as Android and tap Install.

Step 2: Enable Integration in Sleep as Android#

  1. Open Sleep as Android on your phone.
  2. Go to Settings → Sleep tracking → Wearables → Wearables.
  3. Select Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Step 3: Test the Connection#

  1. Go to Settings → Sleep tracking → Wearables → Test sensor.
  2. Move your wrist. You should see a green graph reacting to your movement. (A short delay of a few seconds is normal as sensor data is sent in batches).

Step 4: Enable Heart Rate Tracking (Optional)#

  1. Go to Settings️ → Sleep tracking → Wearables.
  2. Toggle on Heart rate monitoring.

Battery Optimization & Reliability Tips#

To prevent Samsung’s One UI software or Android power management from disconnecting your watch overnight:

  1. Battery Saver Settings: Exclude Sleep as Android, Galaxy Wearable, and Bluetooth from battery optimizations on your phone. See device-specific guides at DontKillMyApp.com.
  2. Bedtime Mode Note: Turning on system Bedtime Mode on some Galaxy Watch models may suppress background app vibrations. Test your alarm setup beforehand if you plan to rely solely on wrist vibrations.
  3. Allow background activity: allow background activity in the Galaxy Wearable app in Watch settings → Apps → Sleep tracking → Allow background activity.

❓ FAQs & Troubleshooting#

Why does my watch only vibrate once when the alarm starts?
  • Reason: One UI Watch uses progressive gentle vibrations to prevent sudden wake-up shocks.
  • 👉 Fix: This is an intentional feature. It starts with 1 short vibration, another 30 seconds later, then after 20 seconds, steadily increasing in frequency until it becomes continuous. You can enable a delayed alarm sound on your phone as an audio backup via Settings ➔ Alarms ➔ Gentle wakeup ➔ Delayed alarm sound start.
Why are SpO2 or HRV data missing from my Galaxy Watch?
  • Reason: Samsung restricts third-party developers from directly accessing raw blood oxygen SpO2 and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) sensor streams in real-time.
  • 👉 Fix: You can sync these metrics via Health Connect!
    1. Enable SpO2 / HRV tracking inside the official Samsung Health app.
    2. Connect both Samsung Health and Sleep as Android to Android’s Health Connect framework.
    3. Sleep as Android will automatically import the health metrics after your sleep session ends. Full instructions here.
Why does sleep tracking start unexpectedly?
  • Reason: Watch app launch or automatic start setting.
  • 👉 Fix:
    • Watch App Launch: Opening the app on your watch starts tracking immediately.
    • Automatic Sleep Tracking: Check if automatic start is active in Settings ➔ Sleep tracking ➔ Automatic sleep tracking ➔ Start sleep tracking.
I want a silent alarm, only vibrating on wearable. How do I do that?

  • Reason: Desire for a discreet wake-up call.

  • 👉 Fix:

    1. Choose your sound preference:
      • Silent: In the specific alarm’s settings, go to Sound and select Silent.
      • Vibration first, sound later: Go to Settings ➔ Alarms ➔ Sound delay.
    2. Turn on watch vibrations: Go to Settings ➔ Sleep tracking ➔ Wearables ➔ Alarm and choose From start.

    We recommend using a delayed sound rather than complete silence as a safety net.

Why does my connection keep dropping or show red gaps on the sleep graph?

  • Reason: Android’s background battery optimizations aggressively closing apps or killing Bluetooth connections.

  • 👉 Fix: Exclude all involved components from background battery optimization on your phone:

    1. Sleep as Android
    2. Your official band companion app, Galaxy Wear app
    3. Bluetooth system services

    For step-by-step, device-specific instructions for your phone manufacturer, visit DontKillMyApp.com.

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