Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Don’t update your Galaxy Watch 4, or you may accidentally kill it

Cristina Alexander
By

Updating your electronic devices to keep them running at an optimal level is important, but if you have the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, you might want to hold off on the latest firmware update. We’re specifically referring to the update bearing the number R89xXXU1GVI3, which users have reported is killing their smartwatches.

According to a report from SamMobile, users have taken to online forums and complained that both models of the Galaxy Watch 4 will not reboot at all after shutting down upon installing the R89xXXU1GVI3 update. In other words, the update wouldn’t allow the watches to restart, effectively rendering them useless.

Galaxy Watch 4 screen from the front.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Reddit user SilverHawk0 wrote in the Galaxy Watch subreddit on November 2 that their Galaxy Watch 4 wouldn’t turn back on after shutting it down and attempting to restart it to rectify the bugs affecting the Google Maps and activity tracker apps. Some of the replies chalked it up to the new firmware update, the real name of which is GVI3.

Recommended Videos

A user in the Samsung forums posted a screenshot of the company’s statement in a reply to the original post addressing the issue. It reads: “We are aware that a limited number of Galaxy Watch 4 series models are not turning on following a recent software (VI3) update. We have halted the update and will release a new software shortly. We recommend consumers experiencing this issue with their Galaxy Watch 4 to visit their nearest Samsung service center or call a contact center.”

If you own a Galaxy Watch 4 and haven’t downloaded the GVI3 update yet, we highly recommend you wait until the next one arrives. However, if you downloaded the faulty firmware update, you’ll want to contact Samsung’s support team for troubleshooting guidance and next steps.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander
Gaming/Mobile Writer
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
The Galaxy Watch 6 just had a major leak — and I’m not impressed
Leaked marketing image of Galaxy Watch 6 in beige

Editor's note: The leaked marketing images of the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic mentioned in this article have since been removed. They've been replaced with images of previous Galaxy Watch models. Said leaked marketing images can still be found elsewhere online. The original story is as follows.

The first purported marketing images of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series have appeared online, and it looks like a bittersweet concoction. The renders come courtesy of the ever-reliable Roland Quandt at Winfuture, who recently leaked details of the upcoming Samsung foldables as well.,

Read more
No, you really don’t need Google Assistant on your smartwatch
Google Assistant listening on the Google Pixel Watch.

The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 doesn’t have Google Assistant built-in, and you can’t separately download and install the app from the Google Play Store. It’s the latest in a line of Android smartwatches that don’t have Assistant onboard, following on from the Montblanc Summit 3 and most modern Fossil smartwatches, but it’s still a standard feature on Google’s own Pixel Watch.

Is Google holding Assistant back for its own devices? Maybe, but I’m not going to worry about it, and I definitely don’t think you should pick the Pixel Watch over the TicWatch Pro 5 due to it. Why? The Assistant on a smartwatch isn’t the selling point Google seems to think it is.
Is it needed on a smartwatch?

Read more
First Galaxy Watch 6 photos show it’s fixing the Watch 5’s biggest mistake
Leaked renders of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

Samsung’s slate of next-gen hardware has started popping up in leaks, once again, weeks ahead of their launch. This time around, @OnLeaks (via MySmartPrice) has shared renders supposedly depicting the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, the more upmarket trim of the vanilla Galaxy Watch 6.

Now, Samsung is once again playing a minimalist game with the design, retaining the signature round dial and the curved hook aesthetics of its previous smartwatches. However, the biggest change in 2023 will be the return of the rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

Read more