Samsung first got its Galaxy Watch sleep apnea feature approved at home in Korea back in 2023, then received De Novo authorization from the FDA in early 2024. Since then it has expanded to many more markets, and the company says it's now available in 84 countries. Today Samsung announced that an upgraded version of the feature, which got FDA approval in July, has also been approved by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).
The new version doesn't just detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. It uses an AI algorithm to count the number of breathing disruptions per hour while you sleep, and the result is sorted into one of three levels based on frequency: mild, occasional, or frequent. It's available through the Samsung Health Monitor app on a Galaxy device, and you need to record at least five hours of sleep on two occasions within ten days to get a result.
In Korea, the upgraded feature will roll out starting in November, first to the Galaxy Watch Ultra2, Galaxy Watch9, and Galaxy Ring. It will then come to the older Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch8 running Wear OS 7.0 or later through software updates. Samsung points out that the Galaxy Ring is light and comfortable enough to wear while sleeping, which helps it gather the sleep data the feature needs.
If your watch isn't on that list, the original feature, which only tells you whether signs of sleep apnea were detected, remains available on the Galaxy Watch4 and newer models running Wear OS 5.0 or later. Samsung also cites the US National Sleep Foundation, which says about 25% of men and 10% of women in the US have sleep apnea, with many of them unaware of it. The company says the results can be a useful reference when you talk to a specialist.
Source (in Korean)
