By now, it's probably widely known that Samsung owns other Android brands and even Google in terms of firmware support for smartphones. But as far as Wear OS smartwatches are concerned, it looks like Google still has the upper hand on the Korean tech giant, and the Galaxy Watch 5 series is now lagging behind the Google Pixel Watch.
Google has just released the May 2023 security patch for its Wear OS smartwatch, i.e., the Pixel Watch, featuring software version RWDA.230114.013. And although Samsung usually beats Google with earlier security patch releases for smartphones, the roles are now reversed. The Galaxy Watch 5 series recently received the April security patch but hasn't gotten the May update yet.
Will the Galaxy Watch 5 get the May security update?
Unlike high-end smartphones, Wear OS smartwatches don't get monthly security patches. At least, they're not guaranteed to do so. The schedule is unpredictable. The Galaxy Watch 5, for example, went live with the July security patch and received security updates in November 2022, January 2023, February, and April.
However, Samsung does seem to imitate Google's release schedule, as the Pixel Watch also received security patches in January, February, and April. As such, it's logical to assume that the Galaxy Watch 5 series, and possibly the Watch 4, will get the May 2023 security patch at some point now that the Pixel Watch has it. It's no guarantee, and again, Samsung appears to be lagging behind Google in this area. But perhaps it won't for long.
Samsung did beat Google to the May 2023 update for Android smartphones, beginning with the Galaxy A10e last week. And today, Samsung brought the May patch to the opposite end of the spectrum through a Galaxy S23 update that's now rolling out in Europe. For phones, the patch fixes more than 70 security flaws, six of which were marked as critical.
