Samsung makes some of thebest Android smartwatches. But despite having years of experience, Samsung’s wearables lack one key health feature: irregular heartbeat recognition and notification. This feature has been a staple of several Apple Watch generations, and on multiple occasions, it has helped save the wearer’s life. The company made some progress on this front as itsecured an FDA clearance for irregular heart rate notificationin May 2023. Samsung has now managed to get the necessary approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), allowing it to bring the feature to more markets.
Starting this summer, Samsung will add Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification (IHRN) to its Samsung Health app in 13 markets. The list of countries includes Argentina, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Panama, UAE, Korea, and the US.
Irregular heartbeat notification will work in conjunction with the ECG capabilities of the Galaxy Watches to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of heart arrhythmia that can cause heart failure or stroke. However, the Korean giant says the feature is only intended for use by adults 22 years and older. It will work in the background by analyzing your heart rate, and when it detects signs of AFib, you will be notified to record an ECG.
Sadly, you will have to wait to enjoy this new addition to your Galaxy Watch. Samsung will first roll out Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification with the Galaxy Watch 6 series in late July and then expand the feature to theGalaxy Watch 4andWatch 5 serieswith the One UI 5 Watch update. Based on Wear OS 4, the skin iscurrently in public beta testingand packs several other improvements, like a sleep coach, personalized heart rate zones, and a smarter SOS implementation.
