Summary
- Galaxy Watch can be wirelessly charged with Samsung phones, but the Watch 7 drops support for this feature due to design changes.
- Using old Galaxy Watch chargers on Watch 7 or Watch Ultra may generate more heat and take longer to charge.
- This is due to the new BioActive sensor on the Galaxy Watch 7, which claims to improve health tracking accuracy by 30%.
Unlike the Pixel Watch and other Android watches, you can charge the Galaxy Watch wirelessly using your Samsung phone. This is possible despite these smartwatches not supporting Qi wireless charging. The charging speeds are relatively slow, though, and the overall process is finicky, requiring you to precisely place the Galaxy Watch on the back of your Galaxy phone. Still, the feature can come in handy when you need to top up the watch’s battery without the charger. Sadly, Samsung’s newest smartwatches — the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra — drop support for wireless power sharing.
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In a support document, Samsung says the Galaxy Watch 7 series is incompatible with its Galaxy phones’ wireless power sharing feature due to their new BioActive health sensor (Via SamMobile). The “new sensor design required changing the shape of the back glass.” This has increased “the distance between the internal wireless charging coil of your Watch and the wireless charger.”
Worse, you should also avoid using the charging puck of your old Galaxy Watch with the Watch 7 or Watch Ultra. Due to the same design changes stated above, Galaxy Watch 6 and older chargers may take longer to top up the battery of Samsung’s newest watches while generating more heat. To avoid this, Samsung recommends using the bundled wireless charger with its 2024 Galaxy Watch lineup, carrying the model number EP-OL300.
On the positive side, the new BioActive sensor on the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra provides a claimed 30% improvement in health tracking. More importantly, it can measure your advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index, which indicates your metabolic health.
Wireless power sharing made charging the Galaxy Watch on-the-go easier
The design change means you can no longer rely on your Galaxy phone to reverse charge your new Galaxy Watch wirelessly. While not wildly popular, this feature was a convenient perk for those within Samsung’s ecosystem, making its removal a bit disappointing. Now, your only option is to use the bundled wireless charging with your Galaxy Watch. And if it suddenly stops working or you lose it, you will have to purchase a replacement unit.
Do note that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 still support wireless power sharing, so you can use them to charge the Galaxy Watch 6 or older Galaxy smartwatches.
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