HarmonyOS 3 starts rolling out to Huawei Watch 3
The much anticipated HarmonyOS 3 has started rolling out today to the global iteration of Huawei Watch 3. This is the stable version, so not a Public Beta.
The next generation of the operating system was demoed back in July. That conference also saw the unveil of Huawei Watch 3 Pro. It comes with an independent navigation system and support for ECG out of the box.
There was another version of Huawei Watch 3 Pro that was released in mid 2021. That was the first timepiece to support the HarmonyOS 2.0 software. For those not in the know, HarmonyOS is a fast operating system than runs on a “microkernel architecture”.
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Now we are getting the next version of the operating system. So far it has been in Beta on Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro.
Version 3 brings more optimised performance, improvements to data synchronisation across devices, it improves battery life and provides a new user experience. You can check for the update by opening the settings on your smartwatch. The other route is to fire up the Huawei Health app and check for the notification about HarmonyOS 3 there.
New features
As far as new features that come as part of this update, you can look forward to the following:
- SuperLink feature on the watch-face. This can be used to help you connect the watch to a Huawei phone and Bluetooth earphones. It is accomplished by a simple swipe on the screen.
- A new always-on display. During workouts, the screen stays on letting you check on the fitness stats at a glance.
- An auto-switch has been added to the sleep app. It can be found in the sleep settings section.
- The updated software makes it easier to switch between audio devices during eSIM calls.
- A new kaleidoscope watch face. It let you set a customised background image (including your own pic).
- Bluetooth connectivity has been improved, particularly when pairing with several devices.
Beyond this there are various fixes and improvements. Some of these are to the watch’s smart functions, others to fitness abilities.
The HarmonyOS 3 software update is being released for the global Huawei Watch 3 series. It comes with HarmonyOS build version 3.0.0.145. The size of the software totals 421 megabytes, so make sure you have a good internet connection when updating.
As noted by HuaweiCentral, this is the initial release which will gradually roll-out. As far as other timepieces, Huawei has confirmed that HarmonyOS 3 beta testing for Watch GT 3 and GT 3 Pro will begin in mid to late January 2023.
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