Samsung ends software support for Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 3/Flip 3
Samsung has quietly ended software support for the Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and the foldable Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, all of which have now reached their promised update lifespan.
Without a formal announcement, Samsung has removed several of its 2021 devices from its software support list. According to multiple sources, including Android Central and SamMobile, the Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and the foldable Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 are all absent from the latest security bulletin, dated September 2026.
First Wear OS watches close their cycle
The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic were Samsung's first watches to drop its own Tizen platform in favor of Google's Wear OS. Samsung had promised four major software generations for these devices, a promise it fully kept: the watches received Wear OS 3.5 with One UI Watch 4.5, then Wear OS 4 with One UI 5 Watch, followed by Wear OS 5 with One UI 6 Watch, and finally Wear OS 6 with One UI 8 Watch. According to actusmartphone.fr, the last update these watches received was the August 2026 security patch. The older Tizen-based watches had already lost support back in September 2025.
Five years for the foldables too
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, launched in August 2021 with Android 11 and One UI 3, have now disappeared from Samsung's update-schedule page as well. Sources differ slightly on the promised support length: Fredzone cites three years of major OS updates plus five years of security patches, while actusmartphone.fr states four major Android upgrades plus five years of security support. In any case, both phones' last major upgrade was Android 15 in 2025, with only security patches following since. The oldest Samsung foldables still supported are now the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, which receive quarterly patches.
What this means for owners
Devices that lose support keep working normally — the watches still tell time, track steps and heart rate, and the phones function as before. However, any security flaws discovered from now on will no longer be fixed, and no new features will be added. Samsung is pointing owners toward newer models: the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch Ultra 2, and the latest Galaxy Watch 9 for wearables, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 for foldables, all of which come with considerably longer support commitments. Since 2024, Samsung has promised seven years of updates for its flagship smartphones.
