Samsung's Galaxy Watch Is Picking Up A Key Health Feature Later This Year
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One of the major lifesaving advances in modern medical science has been the ability to detect bodily anomalies early. Whether it's something simple like a little cough, or something potentially dangerous like a budding tumor, catching health complications early gives you much more time to put a plan into action and remedy the problem before it really gets out of hand. Samsung has announced a new feature for the Galaxy Watch to screen for irregularities in one of your most vital organs: your heart.
Today, Samsung announced that Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications (or IHRNs) will be added to the Samsung Health Monitor app available on Galaxy Watch devices. The feature was in testing phases in the United States and South Korea, pending approval by their respective governing health bodies, which has now been granted.
In the very near future, you'll be able to screen yourself for heartbeat irregularities in the U.S., South Korea, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Panama, and U.A.E.
Monitoring your heart health
The new Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification system in the Samsung Health Monitor app works alongside the other metabolic detection services already in the app that monitor things like heart rate, heart rhythm, and blood pressure. The IHRN system quietly tracks your vitals in the background while the app is running, and in the event any irregularities are picked up, it immediately notifies you. While atrial fibrillation isn't always an immediate cause for concern, it could signify the potential of stroke or heart disease, so knowing about it immediately could be potentially lifesaving.
"Cardiovascular disease remains one of the main causes of death around the world, and we're committed to empowering our users to stay informed about their heart health by providing monitoring tools, including blood pressure measurement and irregular heart rhythm notification," said Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics. "We're constantly exploring new ways to help Galaxy Watch users obtain deeper insights on their health and wellness effortlessly, day and night."
The IHRN feature will be standard in the Samsung Health Monitor app, and by extension Galaxy Watch devices, going forward. It will be included at launch with the new One UI 5 Watch that is set to launch later this year, and will be made compatible with previous Watch versions after that.