Samsung squashes bugs and adds more apps to the Gear S2 smartwatch

Following the release of Samsung’s 18K rose gold and platinum variants of the Gear S2 Classic New Edition, the Korean company has pushed a software update with a few new apps, among performance improvements, and bug fixes to the smartwatch.

The Gear S2 features a rotating bezel, and runs on Samsung’s operating system, Tizen. The OS has been playing catch up, trying desperately to get more developers to make apps for the Tizen Store. Three new applications arrived with the update, including World Clock, ESPN, and News Briefing.

A handy search function in the Contacts application and an unread notification reader on the watch face are two more welcome additions to the Gear S2. You can now enter emojis directly with the keyboard, too, and the smartwatch will alert you when Bluetooth has been disconnected. There’s even an option to set when the screen will time out, which you can access by going to Settings, and then Display.

You’ll also find a few new watchfaces from designer Alessandro Mendini. Samsung has collaborated with Mendini before on accessories for the Gear S2.

To get the update, you have to update the Samsung Gear app first. After that, the app will fetch the 91.12MB update — which you may want to download via a Wi-Fi connection. Keep in mind that while the update is downloading, you won’t be able to use the watch. You might also want to back up of your smartwatch just in case the update goes awry.

A lack of usable apps was one of the reasons we gave the Gear S2 a weak score, so it’s good to see Samsung slowly, but surely, adding more in updates.