Samsung Galaxy Watches to Get AI Features Like Now Bar and Now Brief with One UI 8 Watch Update

Samsung has always been the pioneer in innovation, be it revolutionizing smartphones with foldables or transforming the smartwatch experience with design and intuitive software. In 2024, Samsung made a huge leap by implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the smartphone software with the Android 15-based One UI 7 update. This update came with industry-leading AI features such as Now Bar, Now Brief, AI Select, Writing Assist, and Audio Eraser, which basically transformed user productivity and personalization.

Now, it appears Samsung isn't done with smartphones. An APK teardown of SecClockWorkSysUI version 4.0.57, according to Android Authority, shows that Samsung Galaxy smartwatches will also get these AI features soon starting with Now Bar and Now Brief. These features are expected to arrive with the Android 16-based One UI 8 Watch update, bypassing Android 15-based One UI 7 Watch entirely.

Let's take a deep dive into what these features are, how they'll function on Samsung smartwatches, what the One UI 8 Watch update should deliver, and why this move represents a major leap forward for wearable tech.

What Is Samsung’s Now Bar?

Samsung's "Now Bar" is a new, smart feature that makes your smartphone experience smarter and smoother. Launched with One UI 7, the Now Bar appears at the very top of your Galaxy phone's screen as a smart, constantly updating strip of information. Consider it your personal assistant center it keeps you informed with real-time updates that really concern you. Whether it's breaking news headlines, live scores of your favorite sports teams, reminders, future calendar events, or even your fitness progress, it's all tidily bundled into this one place. What makes it even more awesome is its capacity to offer AI-driven suggestions and adapt to your habits and tastes. You can just tap on any card to learn more or take swift actions. The content is refreshed all day long, so it's always up-to-date. With the Now Bar, Samsung is trying to consolidate your notifications and increase productivity in a smarter and simpler manner and this technology might be coming to their smartwatches soon as well.

Now Bar Is Coming to Samsung Galaxy Watches

Good news for Samsung Galaxy Watch owners Samsung is developing bringing the smart and clever Now Bar to its wearables! Based on a recent APK teardown, this feature-rich bar isn't just remaining on smartphones it's coming to your wrist. This is a significant move in Samsung's quest to make smartwatches smarter and more responsive with real-time AI. On Galaxy Watches, the Now Bar will be readily available via a double pinch gesture, alongside other accessibility shortcuts that are already present. After opening, it becomes a context-aware assistant with interactions that change based on what's being displayed. For instance, if you're navigating, you can access Google Maps from the Now Bar directly. It can also manage your music, give you AI-driven recommendations, start a Now Brief summary, or display live sports scores through Google Sports. To make this even more convenient, Samsung intends to add customization features such as a light layout for quick looks and a detailed view when you need more detailed info. The smartwatch edition is all about delivering the same smart experience you enjoy on your phone, but in a form that feels natural and convenient on a smaller screen.

What Is Now Brief?

While the Now Bar gets you in the know in real time, Now Brief goes one step further and delivers a personalized AI-driven digest of what you need to know. It's like having your very own intelligent daily digest that adapts to your lifestyle. Rather than having to constantly check individual updates, Now Brief provides you with a rounded summary whether it's your calendar appointments, reminder tasks, weather conditions, fitness results, or even application-based insights. It gathers this from your calendar, interests, frequently used apps, health and fitness information, and even where you are now to provide you with a holistic view of your day. It refreshesthree times during the course of the day to remain relevant. Think of it as Samsung’s more visual and interactive take on the daily briefings you’d get from Google Assistant or Alexa only smarter and more in tune with you.

Now Brief on Galaxy Watches

Samsung is also set to introduce Now Brief to Galaxy Watches, turning your wearable even more into a personal assistant in your pocket. The company is said to be tailoring the Now Brief interface to the smartwatch environment, providing daily recap summaries that would show up directly on your watch face or through smart notifications. Users will be able to see these summaries in a condensed mode for a quick glance or a full mode when they need more detail. Every update will be available as a tappable card, allowing you to explore further what's most important with a single tap. There are also suggestions that voice interaction may be enabled, either via Bixby or Google Assistant, to provide a hands-free means of interacting with your daily digest. This step makes Galaxy Watches genuine proactive assistants providing the right information at the right time, without ever having to grab your phone.

The Bigger Picture

Surprisingly, these AI-enhanced updates are set to come with One UI 8 Watch, which is based on Android 16, and skip the One UI 7 Watch update that would otherwise be based on Android 15. There are reports indicating that Samsung might be avoiding offering the One UI 7 Watch update in order to concentrate on an improved, AI-enhanced experience with One UI 8 Watch.

So why does all this make sense for Samsung at this point? For one, it streamlines the development process for their wearables by making major software features common to both phones and watches. By bringing the Now Bar and Now Brief to Galaxy Watches, Samsung is making the user experience more cohesive and seamless regardless of which device you're on. It also indicates Samsung's considerate strategy: rather than hurrying AI features onto wearables, the company is prioritizing stability and battery efficiency first. That way, smartwatches continue to be efficient and reliable despite these new, powerful features. And the timing is also shrewd here these AI-based tools are going to make their debut with the Galaxy Watch 7, which is likely to come out with One UI 8 Watch installed. Everything suggests Samsung is setting the stage for a smarter, more connected ecosystem, from your pocket to your wrist.

When Will These Features Be Available?

So when exactly can you expect to spot the Now Bar and Now Brief on your Galaxy Watch? Although Samsung has not formally announced a launch date, experts believe overwhelmingly that these features will be released along with the One UI 8 Watch release. This next iteration of Samsung's smartwatch software should arrive sometime close to the official rollout of Android 16, potentially in mid-to-late 2025. These initial devices to feature these AI-driven capabilities will likely be Samsung's future-generation wearables, like the highly anticipated Galaxy Watch 7 series. If the rumors are correct, this upgrade might be a huge step in the direction of making smartwatches not only extensions of your phone, but smart, active companions in themselves.

What Else Can We Expect with One UI 8 Watch?

In addition to the wonderful AI features such as Now Bar and Now Brief, One UI 8 Watch is turning out to be a big upgrade loaded with practical refinements. From the health standpoint, users will enjoy sophisticated analysis of sleep cycles, more targeted heart rate zone training, and even AI-assisted stress management features to help monitor and better maintain mental wellness. For females, cycle tracking is becoming even more accurate and intuitive. But that's not everything One UI 8 Watch is also supposed to introduce even more AI capabilities to your wrist, such as Writing Assist to enable you to compose messages while on the move, Audio Eraser to eliminate background noises while recording voice, and AI Smart Replies that offer context-aware suggestions with a single tap. To finish it off, Samsung is pushing even harder on its unified ecosystem efforts, with improved synchronization between your watch and phone, more intelligent handoffs between Galaxy devices such as tablets, foldables, and wearables, and even greater SmartThings integration. Combined, these changes will have your Galaxy Watch not only smarter, but also more integrated into your life.

AI in Wearables

Samsung's decision to transfer AI capabilities from smartphones to wearables is not only a brand-specific development it's part of a much larger trend in motion throughout the tech world. AI in wearables will be the next big thing, revolutionizing the way we engage with devices on a daily basis. Next-generation smartwatches and fitness trackers will provide richly contextual experiences by learning from your biofeedback, habits, and routines effectively becoming more intuitive the more you wear them. Consider receiving predictive alerts for possible health problems before they become emergencies or only receiving the most relevant notifications, at exactly the right moment, due to intelligent prioritization. And with AI processing on the device, these smart features can occur locally so that your private data remains just that while your watch remains intelligent. Samsung's AI initiative in wearables is a clear indication that our wristside friends are developing into intelligent, personalized assistants.

The impending launch of Now Bar and Now Brief on Galaxy smartwatches via the One UI 8 Watch update shows how Samsung has a visionary plan for a deeply integrated, AI-first experience. Something that was previously confined to smartphones is now coming to your wrist, bringing AI to the very core of the Galaxy experience. With this transition, Galaxy Watches are no longer simply fitness trackers or notification hubs they're becoming context-aware smart assistants that provide you with personal insights and timely information without your having to grab your phone. For Samsung users, this translates to smarter notifications, richer health information, less screen time, and a more integrated experience on all Galaxy devices. As we move forward towards the complete rollout of One UI 8 Watch, one thing is for sure: AI is revolutionizing the way we interact with our wearables, and Samsung is at the forefront of ushering in this new exciting era.