Samsung's Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch can now flag signs of sleep apnea and rate how severe it is, giving you real sleep data to show a doctor.
Samsung's Galaxy Ring can now flag signs of sleep apnea, a condition where breathing is interrupted during sleep. It is the first smart ring sold over the counter with an FDA-cleared feature for the job. The same upgraded feature is also arriving on the Galaxy Watch.
The original version only told you whether you were at risk. It earned FDA De Novo authorization in February 2024, making it the first wearable tool of its kind to flag possible moderate or severe sleep apnea.
The upgrade lives in the Samsung Health Monitor app. It studies your vitals more closely overnight and now tells you how severe your breathing interruptions are, not just whether you may have them.
The US FDA cleared the upgrade in July. Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved it too. Samsung is also the first company to bring sleep apnea risk detection to a smart ring.
Not everyone enjoys sleeping with a smartwatch on their wrist. The Galaxy Ring is light and comfortable, so you are more likely to keep it on every night. It also does not need weeks of data. Two nights of sleep tracking within any 10 days is enough to get results.
"We are giving people the tools to help spot possible early signs of sleep apnea and take charge of their wellbeing," said Jongmin Choi, Head of Health R&D Group in Samsung's Mobile eXperience business.
The coverage does not say whether the feature costs anything extra or which countries get it first. Samsung says it plans to bring the feature to more countries over time, but no list or dates were given. Nothing was shared about how accurate the severity readings are.
If you own a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring, this is a feature worth turning on. Use whichever device you find more comfortable to sleep in. If it flags something, the useful next step is a doctor visit, where you can bring real data instead of guesses.
If you own a Galaxy Watch or Ring, turn on the sleep apnea feature and bring any results to your doctor.
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