Samsung has begun rolling out an update that will add blood pressure monitoring to two of its most recent smartwatches: the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2.
Last month we learned that Samsung was preparing a firmware update that would unlock the new feature, and it's now finding its way onto thousands of wrists around the world. The rollout begins today (February 22) and is expected to take a few weeks to complete, so don't worry if you haven't received it just yet.
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Apple broke new ground in 2018 when it launched the Apple Watch 4 with an ECG app to detect irregular heart rhythms that could be a sign of cardiovascular disease, and for a while it looked like it would also be the first company to release a smartwatch with blood pressure monitoring, but Samsung has beaten it to the punch.
Last year we learned that Apple had registered a patent describing a way to measure blood pressure non-invasively using pressure sensors in the wristband. At the time, we speculated that the feature could appear in the then-unreleased Apple Watch 6, but that proved not to be the case when the device launched a few months later.
Finger on the pulse
ECG apps have now become mainstream, so it's perhaps about time that Samsung's latest firmware update will also unlock the ECG sensor in the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2, which had been disabled pending approval from medical administrations.
This will bring the two Samsung watches into line with devices like the Fitbit Sense and Withings Scanwatch, and make them a good budget option for anyone interested in checking their cardiovascular health.
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Via Forbes
