Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Watch 3 and Watch Active 2 have received ECG and blood pressure monitoring in another 31 countries. Users can take advantage of these health tracking features through Samsung’s Health Monitor app.
Samsung said its Health Monitor app received a CE mark last month, allowing the service to expand to 28 European countries, where users can use blood pressure and electrocardiogram tracking. Receipt of the mark indicates that a product complies with EU requirements for safety, health and the environment.
The new countries include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Samsung has said that the Health Monitor app will also be launched in Chile, Indonesia and the UAE.
Samsung previously made ECG monitoring available on the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 in the US after gaining FDA approval. The electrocardiogram function can detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is often the cause of heart complications, including blood clots, failure, and stroke. Samsung said the feature works by analyzing the heart’s electrical activity via a sensor on its watches. Once a measurement has been taken, the Health Monitor app will classify the results as a sinus rhythm (normal) or AFib, that is, when the heart is beating irregularly.
Meanwhile, monitoring your blood pressure and heart health is critical because high blood pressure is linked to brain, kidney and heart disease. If left untreated, it can lead to stroke and heart disease. Blood pressure monitoring has previously been made available in South Korea.
Using these features can give users a better picture of their overall health. Samsung has said that the update of the Health Monitor app will be available from February 4 in these countries on the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2.
If you have a non-Samsung phone, you can use ECG monitoring on the Galaxy Watch 3 and Watch Active 2 with a little tampering. It’s also pretty easy to enable blood pressure monitoring on the Watch Active 2 using this guide.