Samsung Galaxy Watch Active update will make it easier to use

Samsung is heavily rumored to be introducing a new smartwatch on August 7, but the company is spending some of its time improving one of its existing smartwatches too, with a new update to the Galaxy Watch Active.

This is one of the biggest updates we’ve seen to the existing smartwatch that launched in February this year, bringing a host of new features alongside the inevitable tweaks and stability fixes.

Automatic swim tracking is one of the big features that you can expect to see in the update if you’re into fitness. It should allow you to automatically keep an eye on your laps of the pool without manually having to start a workout.

• Our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Active review
• What to know about Galaxy Watch Active 2
• Every Samsung watch available right now

When using the Galaxy Watch Active you currently have to rotate your finger around the screen to be able to cycle through the apps available to you. This is because it has similar software to the Galaxy Watch, but the Watch Active doesn’t feature the rotating bezel, so instead Samsung opted for this to interact with it.

The upcoming update will see Samsung change the UI so you can swipe left or right to see a whole new menu of apps right in front of you. That means you won’t have to spin through the apps you don’t want to see in order to get to the one you need to find.

That should make it an easier device to use, and Samsung has promised some improvements to Bixby too.

According to Samsung, Bixby will now allow you to “Get tasks done easily thanks to Bixby's more task-oriented interaction capabilities.” That seems to be similar to what we’ve previously used the Galaxy Watch Active for, but it looks like it may be a more useful piece of tech after this update.

Other new features include a way to simplify your watch's UI at night, called Goodnight Mode. The idea here is that the interface is simplified to just the time to make it easier to read if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Worried about your heart rate dropping low? This update will now bring customizable updates, so you can be notified when your heart rate has dropped below a certain level.

The final improvement is to the company's breathe feature, which is said to be easier to access, although we don't currently know exactly how that will work.

The update is rolling out from now so you may soon get it on the watch, but there's no specific release date for each region.

• Everything we expect from the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

Via 9To5Google