Like Garmin, Samsung also plans to introduce subscription to lock Galaxy Watch features behind paywall

Following Fitbit Premium and Garmin Connect Plus, Samsung is also said to be planning a subscription model to increase revenue from its smartwatches. In an interview with CNET, the company stated that it is currently working on a subscription model similar to Garmin Connect Plus, meaning that anyone who wants to access all the functions of a Galaxy Watch will have to pay a monthly subscription fee.

Details on how expensive this subscription will be or which features will be locked behind the paywall have not yet been announced. Specifically, Samsung is only talking about "advanced coaching features" for which users will have to pay, presumably functions such as the Running Coach, which will be introduced with One UI 8 Watch. Samsung suggests that these features may be included for free when purchasing a new smartwatch, such as via a free subscription period, while users of a Galaxy Watch6 or an older model will have to pay extra.

Samsung may announce this subscription together with the Galaxy Watch8, which is expected to be launched in July. Some features of One UI 8 Watch are only available on relatively new Galaxy Watches. For example, Running Coach requires at least a Galaxy Watch7 and the Antioxidant Index requires a Galaxy Watch Ultra. Hon Pak, Head of Digital Health team at Samsung Electronics, also hinted that the company is working on a way to measure blood glucose levels using a smartwatch and that this feature is "not too far away".