OnePlus Watch 2’s Wear OS 5 delay raises questions about Watch 3’s future (Updated: Statement)

Update, October 10, 2025 (11:05 AM ET): A OnePlus spokesperson has shared with us at Android Authority the following statement:

Wear OS 5 will be coming to OnePlus Watch 2 in the near future, with Wear OS 6 expected to follow for both OnePlus Watch 2 and OnePlus Watch 3 in 2026.

You can read the company’s full response about the delay in updates to the OnePlus Watch 3 and 2.

Original article, October 10, 2025 (06:42 AM ET): OnePlus launched the OnePlus Watch 2 in February 2024 with Wear OS 4 alongside a custom RTOS. This innovative approach, made possible by its dual-chip architecture (Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 with BES2700), made it one of the best smartwatches for battery life. OnePlus promised that the Watch 2 will be updated to Wear OS 5 sometime in Q3 2025. Q3 has come and gone, and the Watch 2/2R are still stuck on Wear OS 4, even as Pixel Watches and Samsung Galaxy Watches around enjoy Wear OS 6.

When OnePlus launched the OnePlus Watch 3 (with Wear OS 5) in February 2025, it followed up with some commitments around software updates for both the new Watch 3 and the older Watch 2. The company promised that:

• The OnePlus Watch 2 will receive 3 years of software updates (Wear OS 4, 5, and 6). It will also receive 3 years of quarterly security updates from 2024 until 2026.
• The OnePlus Watch 3 will receive 3 years of software updates (Wear OS 5, 6, and 7), as well as 3 years of quarterly security updates from 2025 until 2027.

The company also mentioned to Android Central that “Watch 2 users are expected to receive their OS 5 updates in Q3 of this year.”

Even with a July rollout for Wear OS 5, the OnePlus Watch 2 would have already been a year behind on software version, as Wear OS 6 launched in July 2025. We’re in Q4 2025, so the company has missed its own deadline.

What makes the missing Wear OS 5 update even more confusing is that the newer OnePlus Watch 3 already runs Wear OS 5, and it shares the same chipsets as the Watch 2 and 2R, meaning the company has already done a lot of the heavy lifting around the update.

To add insult to injury, the Watch 2 is also stuck on an outdated security patch. OnePlus promised quarterly security updates, but my Watch 2 is still on the May 2025 security patches.

With the Wear OS 5 update for the Watch 2 delayed, OnePlus Watch 3 owners are also justified in feeling anxious about their impending Wear OS 6 update. How long will it take the company to roll out a major platform update to its smartwatches? Will Watch 3 owners also have to wait for more than a year for the latest software version? It’s been a few months since Wear OS 6 launched, and OnePlus has not shared any timelines for its rollout.

We’ve reached out to OnePlus for comments on the delayed Wear OS 5 update for Watch 2 and their updated software update plans for their wearables. We’ll update this article when we learn more.