Samsung may use software to measure blood pressure in smartwatches

Samsung may use an app to measure the blood pressure of users with smartwatches more widely. The company has received permission from the authorities in South Korea to deploy blood pressure tests on the Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Samsung has received permission from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to also use the Health Monitor app for blood pressure measurements. This is possible with smartwatches that are suitable for this. Samsung plans to release the feature for the Galaxy Watch Active2 in the third quarter of this year.

Users can measure their blood pressure by first calibrating their smartwatch with a standard blood pressure monitor. They can then directly view their blood pressure with their smartwatch and the Health Monitor app. The smartwatch uses the data that is also used to measure the heart rate, but the software then calculates the difference between the heart rate and the calibration values ​​to display the blood pressure. Samsung says users should recalibrate their smartwatch every four weeks to get the correct values.

Samsung warns that the rollout of the app is dependent on permission per country. In principle, permission from the South Korean authorities is sufficient for a rollout, because they have indicated that the app meets all the criteria of conventional blood pressure monitors. In the future, Samsung will make the blood pressure testing software available for other smartwatches.