Samsung's phasing out its Tizen smartwatches — and boosting trade-ins to $100 for Galaxy Watch 3 and older

Galaxy Watch 3
(Image credit: Future)

It's finally time to say goodbye to Samsung's Tizen-powered smartwatches. Tizen OS is on track to lose full support by the end of 2025, Samsung has announced, marking the end of an era that began in 2018 with the original Galaxy Watch. And right now, Samsung is offering up to $100 in trade-in credit for your Tizen Galaxy Watch.

This includes the Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch Active 2, Galaxy Watch Active, and the original Galaxy Watch. Considering that most major retailers like Best Buy only offer between $5-15 dollars for these trade-ins, that's a significant boost, as 9to5Google notes

Samsung ditched Tizen OS, the company's proprietary operating system, starting with the Galaxy Watch 4 in 2021 as it pivoted to Google's Wear OS. Now, Samsung has outlined a termination schedule for Tizen watches, according to screenshots first shared by TechIssuesToday of a notice purportedly from a member of the Galaxy Store Operation. It looks like Samsung is gradually phasing out support for Tizen on its Galaxy Store, culminating in a full shutdown by September 2025. You can find the timeline below: 

  • September 30, 2024: The Galaxy Store will cease sales of paid Tizen watch content, including apps, watch faces, and more.
  • May 31, 2025: The Galaxy Store will discontinue new downloads of free Tizen watch content.
  • September 30, 2025: The “My Apps” section in the Galaxy Store will stop allowing re-downloads, effectively shutting the door on accessing any further paid or free Tizen content.

The latest iteration of the Galaxy Watch is the Galaxy Watch 6. It runs Wear OS 4, the newest version of Google's Android smartwatch software that comes layered with Samsung's One UI 5 Watch for Galaxy-specific experiences. In practice, that means the watch is loaded with familiar Google apps, but has built-in programs like Samsung Health and Bixby, too.

But a new Galaxy Watch 6 doesn't come cheap. While you can often catch it on sale (just check out our best Galaxy Watch 6 deals), it's sticker price of $300 can be a tough sell for some. 

However, if you have an older Galaxy watch and are looking to upgrade, now's the perfect time to do it as Samsung is boosting trade-ins for its Tizen-powered models. That means an older watch will actually fetch a decent credit toward a newer model that’s miles ahead in terms of capabilities and performance. So be sure to head on over to Samsung's store to see how much your smartwatch is worth. 

Don't have a Galaxy watch to trade in, but still want some money off? Be sure to check out our Samsung discount codes for the latest deals. 

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Alyse Stanley
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Alyse Stanley is a news editor at Tom’s Guide overseeing weekend coverage and writing about the latest in tech, gaming and entertainment. Prior to joining Tom’s Guide, Alyse worked as an editor for the Washington Post’s sunsetted video game section, Launcher. She previously led Gizmodo’s weekend news desk, where she covered breaking tech news — everything from the latest spec rumors and gadget launches to social media policy and cybersecurity threats.  She has also written game reviews and features as a freelance reporter for outlets like Polygon, Unwinnable, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. She’s a big fan of horror movies, cartoons, and miniature painting.