Sleep Apnea feature appears prior to Galaxy Watch 7 launch

Just one day before Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Ultra with new features, one seemingly new sleep apnea detection feature has begun popping up on users’ devices.

The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra are very likely to come with new features in hand. We’re not entirely sure what yet, but some hints have been dropped in the past few months. In February, Samsung announced that a new Sleep Apnea detection feature had been cleared by the FDA in the US. Since then, it hasn’t had much of a spotlight on it since no Galaxy Watch has utilized it.

Now, it looks like the Galaxy Watch series is beginning to see that feature. A user on Reddit posted a couple of screenshots showcasing the Sleep Apnea feature becoming available after a Samsung Health Monitor app update. The user noted that they’re in the One UI Watch 6 beta program, which is available for the Galaxy Watch 4, 5, and 6.

According to the Samsung Health Monitor app, the minimum watch that can use the new feature is the Watch 4. It also noted that the minimum OS is Wear OS 5 and One UI Watch 6.

The app needs two nights minimum to detect any signs of sleep apnea on the Galaxy Watch. From there, the watch tracks how many “relative decreases in blood oxygen” the user has per night. That measurement can determine if the user has moderate to destructive sleep apnea. The feature turns off after two nights.

At this time, Samsung hasn’t made much mention of the feature beyond FDA approval. If it’s coming to users on One UI Watch 6, then it’d be safe to assume it’ll launch with the Galaxy Watch 7 when that goes public, presumably tomorrow. After a period of time, the One UI Watch 6 full release will roll out to older watches beyond the new Watch 7, though that may be a few months.

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