ECG measurement on Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 now available
No time right now?
A good 18 months after the launch of the Watch Active 2, Samsung is delivering the promised EKG feature. As a bonus, there is blood pressure measurement and Samsung Pay. The features also come on the Watch 3.
With the Samsung Health Monitor app, users of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 can now also measure their blood pressure and perform an EKG. The manufacturer is now rolling out the required update in Germany as well.
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Not everyone likes: Health features only run on Galaxy smartphones
A certain annoyance was caused by the announcement that a paired Samsung smartphone was required to use the functions. The manufacturer has not changed anything about that. The health monitor app required on the smartphone does the actual evaluation of the measurement. That was not communicated in advance. A lawyer should clarify whether the Samsung smartphone requirement is a product defect that entitles it to reverse the transaction.
The fact that the introduction of the health functions took so long is likely to have at least in part to do with the fact that a smartphone app was dropped. However, the process of certification as a medical product also took time. Samsung has permission for the entire European Union in its pocket.
Blood pressure measurement by watch and smartphone
With the Samsung Health Monitor app, users can measure their blood pressure in order to detect high blood pressure at an early stage. To do this, the smartwatch uses various LED sensors to determine the blood pressure from the changes in the reflected light. For this purpose, the measurement includes individual reference values of the users.
The Samsung Health Monitor app analyzes the change in blood pressure in reference to a calibration value. Therefore, before the first measurement and afterwards at least every 28 days, users must compare the Smartwatch with a measurement with a conventional blood pressure cuff. The value measured with the cuff then becomes the new reference value.
EKG measurement: Long promised, finally here
Like Apple with the Watch Series 5 and 6, Samsung has built an EKG sensor into its new smartwatches. It can now record electrocardiograms in combination with the health monitor app. This is a single-lead EKG that is only able to detect signs of atrial fibrillation. The doctor usually creates a 12-lead ECG, which obviously offers significantly more diagnostic information.
With the new wearable update, Samsung brings a beta version of the Samsung Pay app. From March 4th, 2021, cashless payments will also be possible with the Galaxy Watches Active 2 and Watch 3. The function has been available on Galaxy smartphones since last October.
