Samsung has announced that it is activating irregular heart rhythm detection on its Galaxy Watches after the FDA has approved the use of the feature. The South Korean tech firm said that the feature will arrive first on the Galaxy Watch 6 before it will become available for older Galaxy Watch models through the One UI 5 Watch update later this year.
Similar to the Apple Watch and Fitbit’s smartwatches, irregular heart rhythm monitors atrial fibrillation through the blood flow on the wrist and notifies the users once signs are detected. This is vital in diagnosing whether the particular chambers of the heart are not in good condition or whether there are possible hidden heart-related illnesses. Subsequently, it may require necessary treatment and even procedures in some cases.
As for Samsung, the company says the feature is debuting first on the Galaxy Watch 6 as Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification (IHRN) built-in to the Health Monitor app. It added that IHRN will only be enabled on previous Galaxy watches through an upcoming One UI 5 Watch update.
Which Samsung Galaxy Watch could get the Irregular Heart Beat Monitoring feature
Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Pro at the end of July while there is no exact timetable yet on when the firmware will hit older smartwatches. At the same time, it has not provided which models are getting irregular heartbeat notifications. But based on the early compatibility list, the Galaxy Watch 5 (review) and Galaxy Watch 4 lineups are supported by One UI 5 Watch OS.
In addition to irregular heart rhythm, the next Galaxy Watch operating system of Samsung is planned to improve sleep tracking and introduce deeper integration of its watches into the smart home ecosystem. Personalized heart zone and expanded routes are also expected to arrive.
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