One UI 8 Watch to bring Now Bar, Now Brief, Shortcuts to Galaxy Watches

It was recently revealed that One UI 8 Watch will be the next big software update for Galaxy Watches. Yes, Samsung is skipping One UI 7 Watch to bring One UI on phones and watches to the same version, as that will reduce confusion. A new report has revealed that One UI 8 Watch will feature Now Bar, Now Brief, and a new app called Shortcuts.

The update could be released later this year and will replace Google Assistant with Gemini AI and introduce new system sounds.

According to a report from Android Authority, Galaxy Watches will get a new app called Shortcuts with the One UI 8 Watch update. Digging through One UI 8 Watch's code, the Shortcuts app (version 1.0.00.18) was discovered. And some related code strings revealed that it lets you add app shortcuts to the Galaxy Watch's home screen.

As you can see above, the app lets you add app shortcuts in two sizes: 2×1 and 2×2. In a 2×1 shortcut, you can add two app shortcuts, while the 2×2 size lets you add four app shortcuts to the Galaxy Watch's home screen.

Accessing app shortcuts directly via the watch face makes things faster, especially if there are a few apps that you constantly access on your smartwatch. One UI 8 Watch will bring more features, including new app icons that are in line with the app icon design of One UI 7 on Galaxy phones.

The update will also bring Now Bar and Now Brief features to Galaxy Watches. They were introduced to Galaxy phones and tablets with the One UI 7.0 update. These features were discovered while digging through the SecClockWorkSysUI (version 4.0.57) APK in One UI 8 Watch's firmware.

You will be able to choose a minimal or a comprehensive version of Now Bar on Galaxy Watches running One UI 8 Watch. The minimal version just displays the icon for the ongoing activity, while the comprehensive version shows the app icon and related text when the screen is active.

Apparently, you can open the Now Bar by using the Double Pinch gesture. It displays relevant information on the Galaxy Watch's home screen. Compatible apps and services are listed below.