Samsung Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro support Watch Unlock before new feature's official launch

Last week, Samsung started distributing Wear OS 4 to the Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro, the first major update for the pair. Arriving as One UI 5 Watch, the update brought various changes to Samsung's last-generation smartwatches, which it has since replaced with the Galaxy Watch6 and Galaxy Watch6 Classic. Despite publishing an extensive One UI 5 Watch changelog, it turns out that Samsung decided to leave a few new features unmentioned.

According to Mishaal Rahman, One UI 5 Watch enables 'Watch Unlock' for the Galaxy Watch5 series, which was previously known as 'Smart Lock'. Originally, Google introduced Smart Lock during its Wear OS 3 showcase. However, it now appears that Google is ready to roll out the feature, which will allow you to automatically unlock a paired smartphone but only if you are wearing your smartwatch. Eventually, Watch Unlock should be compatible with Chromebooks, although it remains to be seen when this will be the case.

In other words, the Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro will mimic the Apple Watch, which has been able to unlock Macs and iPhones for a few years at this point. Other Wear OS smartwatches will support Watch Unlock too, including the forthcoming Pixel Watch 2. With Google having now scheduled a Pixel launch event for October 4, we suspect that the formal reveal of Watch Unlock is only a few weeks away.

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