Galaxy Watch getting new health feature in coming update

Apr 21, 2020 08:03 GMT  ·  By

Samsung has just announced that it received clearance from the South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to install the Samsung Health Monitor app on its smartwatches.

The new app offers blood pressure monitoring, and will be available on the Galaxy Watch Active 2. It requires watch wearers to first run a calibration process with a traditional cuff, whose readings must then be provided into the app for more accurate data.

The calibration process must be done every four weeks, Samsung explains, so the readings remain as accurate as possible every time the Samsung app determines your blood pressure.

The smartwatch can determine the blood pressure using pulse wave analysis, which is powered by the heart rate monitoring sensors installed on the device.

“Globally, high blood pressure is known to significantly increase your risk of brain, kidney and heart diseases, including stroke and coronary heart disease when not managed properly. By helping users measure and track their blood pressure, the Samsung Health Monitor app gives people greater insight into their health and allows them to make more informed decisions, to lead healthier lives,” Samsung explains.

Launching in the third quarter

Several other companies have investing in blood pressure monitoring for their smartwatches, and Samsung says its app will go live on the Galaxy Watch Active sometime in the third quarter. The good news is that other smartwatches from Samsung will receive the new app in a coming update, albeit the whole thing will happen “progressively’ and only on “upcoming” Galaxy Watch devices.

In other words, more future smartwatches developed by Samsung would get blood pressure monitoring, but models already on the market are unlikely to be updated with such capabilities. And of course, the availability will vary by market, as Samsung first needs government clearance to launch the app in a specific country.