Technology
Samsung is tracking blood pressure in South Korea Smartwatch
Samsung launched its Health Monitor application in South Korea, which allows Galaxy Watch Active 2 smartwatch blood pressure tracking.
Samsung said the app would be released within the 3rd quarter of this year after South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Security approval in April. The roll-out was somewhat earlier than scheduled.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 will still not work as a complete blood pressure cuff replacement; in fact, every four weeks, you need to use one to calibrate your app.
That's the best thing, though — optical sensors can only actually calculate blood pressure changes, instead of reading them accurately.
With a traditional reading, Samsung's application should be more helpful for monitoring trends over time or between doctor visits.
Samsung says the Health Monitor software will also enable ECG (electrocardiogram) cardiac surveillance in South Korea from the third quarter of this year. This is an Apple feature introduced in 2018 with the Apple Watch Series 4, although it still offers native blood pressure tracking support.
Samsung did not disclose specifics of plans for taking these information outside South Korea. Such efforts would depend on local regulatory authorities' approval.
