[Updated] Some Galaxy Watch 5 & 4 users report screen locking or turning off immediately after using 'Raise wrist to wake' gesture

Here’s the crux of the article in video form

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on February 3, 2023) follows:

Some Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 users have reported (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,) an issue with the screen locking when using the ‘Raise wrist to wake’ gesture after a recent update.

The ‘Raise wrist to wake’ gesture is a convenient feature that allows users to quickly see the time or see other important information without having to tap the screen.

According to some users, the screen turns off or locks almost immediately after the gesture is used, with the screen timeout being only 1-2 seconds.

New galaxy watch 5 defective? I just bought a gw5 from best buy today, I finished updating it just a few hours ago to get it to the latest firmware
Every time I raise to wake the watch with gesture wakes then the screen turns off almost immediately
Source

GW5 problem with wake up with your wrist after the update
Hi there. So after the newest update on my gw5, I’ve encountered a problem that its killing me. I’m using wrist wake up and the moment screen goes on, it stays on for like 1s only. I did run full diagnostics on the watch and everything seems to be fine.
Source

It seems that some Galaxy Watch 4 users are also facing a similar issue. The problem began after the recent update, suggesting that it may be because of the new firmware.

I just started getting the same problem today on a GW4, guessing it was from latest software update.
Lesson learned, always wait a couple months before updating any new software, considering they botched the last update too (thankfully I did wait on that one).
Source

Several users have taken to Reddit to voice their concerns about the issue and seek a solution.

Potential workaround

Samsung has not officially acknowledged the issue, and it is unclear when a fix will be available.

However, we have come across a workaround that may potentially solve the issue.

Following the steps may solve the issue temporarily but it still remains to be seen when Samsung will heal this problem from the roots.

We hope that Samsung does take the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 screen locking and turning off issues into consideration and provides a solution.

Until then, keep tabs for we’ll update this article with the latest developments as and when they happen.

04:58 pm (IST): It seems that the new Galaxy Watch 5 Pro update (SM-R920) has fixed the ‘Raise Wrist to Wake’ gesture.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Samsung Section so be sure to follow them as well.

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