These are the common Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 problems so far, and how to fix them

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) are the company’s two latest smartwatches, packing that squircle body, brighter displays, and larger batteries than their predecessors.

Based on online sentiment, neither device has significant holes in its armor, but some users have likely encountered a few minor problems on their journey thus far. If you’re in the latter camp, I detail quick fixes and deeper troubleshooting steps to solve the known Galaxy Watch 8 problems.

Have you turned it off and on again? That age-old question often solves most tech problems, including those troubling the Galaxy Watch 8 series. However, it’s also worth rebooting before troubleshooting any further issues. This provides your device with a clean slate.

To reboot your Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, press and hold the Home and Back keys on the right-hand side of your watch until the Samsung logo appears.

Here are a few more pre-troubleshooting checklist items:

• Unless it cannot be powered for some reason, ensure that your smartwatch’s battery is fully charged before troubleshooting. This minor but often overlooked step is especially important for diagnosing battery problems.
• Check if the smartphone you’re using is compatible with your watch. Samsung requires a phone running Android 11 or newer with at least 1.5GB of RAM.
• Finally, learning how to factory reset your Galaxy Watch is a good idea. You may need it if all else fails. To do this, open the Galaxy Wearable app, go to Watch settings, select General, and then select Reset > Reset.
• It’s also recommended that you back up your watch before factory resetting it. To do this, visit Account and backup in the Galaxy Wearable app > Back up and restore > Back up data. Select which settings and apps you want to save, and then tap Backup. Wait until the process is complete, then tap Done.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s jump into more targeted problems.

Galaxy Watch 8 and Google Pixel owners encountered a pairing issue, in which the wearable could not be recognized by devices running the latest Android builds. This issue was remedied with the rollout of the latest Play Services update in early September. If you’re still encountering this problem, update your Google Pixel model to the latest software version for the phone and the platform.

If you are running the latest software builds and are still encountering this problem, consider the following workarounds:

• Some users have paired their Galaxy Watch 8 models to their Pixel 10 series devices by turning Airplane mode on on the latter, and manually turning on Bluetooth after this.
• Others have confirmed that a factory reset of the phone is required before pairing the two devices once again. I’d advise using this workaround as a last resort. It appears that this alone isn’t a silver bullet and isn’t guaranteed to solve any problems either.

Thanks to its larger battery, the Galaxy Watch 8 should comfortably outlast its predecessor on a single charge, but every device runs into a battery or power quirk at some point in its life. During our review, we found that the battery life claims Samsung advertises don’t quite measure up in the real world. If you feel that your smartwatch is draining a little too quickly for your liking, follow the steps below.

• Like all previous Samsung smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 8 will take a few days to settle into a battery rhythm. This is largely due to various setup procedures. Expect much higher battery drain for the first few days and perhaps even a few weeks as your watch learns your usage habits. If the higher-than-expected drain continues beyond this point, you may need to dig deeper.
• Keep installed apps to a minimum. The more apps you install on your smartwatch, the more they will occupy its background resources, leading to higher battery usage.
• Consider rebooting the device before embarking on any additional troubleshooting steps below.

Here are a few other checklist items that’ll improve your battery life, but may disable some valuable feature or service:

• Deactivate Gemini: Open Galaxy Wearable on your phone and navigate to Watch Settings > Google > Digital assistant. Tap Turn off assistant > Turn off. This will disable access to Gemini, but if you don’t talk to your watch, this shouldn’t be a problem.
• Disable Always On Display: Open Settings > Display > toggle off Always On Display.
• Decrease the screen timeout duration: Open Settings > Display > Screen timeout > set it to the lowest value.
• Disable location services when not in use: Open Settings > Location > toggle off Location.

Some users have expressed frustration at notification delivery delays on their Galaxy Watch 8 models. If this is a problem you’re experiencing, find some troubleshooting options below.

• First, check the apps that are allowed to send notifications. Open the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone, then head to Watch settings > Notifications. You can control which apps can and can’t send you notifications from here.
• I’d also ensure that Always show on both is toggled on beneath the Phone notifications on watch section in the Watch settings > Notifications page. This will ensure that your watch receives every notification on your phone.
• Finally, some users have solved the issue by factory resetting their device as a last resort.

Notably, this issue appears to be a bug, so ensure that you install any forthcoming software updates. Samsung may have included a remedy.

The Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) are relatively new devices, so don’t be surprised if the issues list grows as the watches age. If you’ve encountered a problem that wasn’t mentioned above, drop a comment below.