Latest news with #GalaxyWatch5
GSM Arena
3 days ago
- Health
- GSM Arena
Samsung considering subscription model for Samsung Health
Earlier this week, Samsung announced the One UI 8 Watch, which will debut with the next Galaxy Watch coming in July. The One UI 8 Watch update brings new Samsung Health features, including Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index. While Samsung Health features have been free to use until now, things could change going forward as the Korean brand is considering subscription plans for Samsung Health. In an interview with CNET, Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Health at Samsung, revealed that the company is exploring a premium subscription model for Samsung Health, similar to Garmin Connect Plus or Fitbit Premium, which would require Samsung Health users to pay a monthly subscription fee for advanced features. Basic features will likely remain free. These new advanced features, which could require a subscription, might be included free with premium Galaxy Watches (and possibly even Galaxy Rings), while users of older models would have to pay to access them. Right now, the new Samsung Health features introduced with the One UI 8 Watch are available through a beta program in the US and South Korea for watches as old as the Galaxy Watch5 series. However, their availability depends on whether or not your watch has advanced LED sensors. Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro For example, the Vascular Load and Antioxidant Index features are only available on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, while Running Coach will work with the Galaxy Watch7 or later. It's also worth mentioning that Vascular Load and Antioxidant Index are being introduced as Labs features, meaning they are experimental features and are available as early previews before their stable release. You can read more about the four new Samsung Health features here. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Samsung Galaxy Watch7 Source
Egypt Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- Egypt Independent
Samsung's big plan to compete with the Apple Watch: keeping you healthy as you age
New York CNN — Healthcare costs are Healthcare costs are expected to rise in 2025 and older adults are increasingly looking to age in place — trends Samsung is targeting to get a bigger piece of the digital health market. And the company's upcoming smartwatch update is another step in that direction, says Hon Pak, vice president and head of the digital health team for Samsung's mobile business. 'You have an aging population with increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and then you have costs going up,' Pak said in a CNN interview. 'And so all of those pressures are leading to care shifting to the home where we happen to be.' Samsung wants to use digital health as a way to catch up to – and maybe beat – Apple in wearable technology. Both companies are expanding their wellness offerings as they hope to lock in long-term customers amid slowing smartphone sales. A beta version of the software will be available this month for Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 and newer models, although certain functions will only be available for the company's latest models. Pak believes the company may have an edge over its competitors in bringing health into the home because it's already there in the form of appliances and home entertainment products, he said. Samsung is the world's largest smartphone maker by market share, according to estimates from leading market research firms. But Samsung faces steeper challenges in smartwatches, as it only accounted for roughly 6% of that global market in the first quarter of 2025, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC), while Apple took the top spot with about 20% of the market. Apple has done a better job at marketing the Apple Watch as a compelling smartphone companion than Samsung, says Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager for the IDC. '(Apple is) closest to making the smartwatch a 'must have' than any other brand or ecosystem,' Ubrani told CNN in an email. Samsung hopes to differentiate itself by focusing on preventative advice — i.e. helping users eat right or get enough sleep before developing health conditions. Yet it also faces competition from smaller health tech companies like smart ring maker Oura, which takes a similarly proactive approach to health tracking that tech giants like Google have also emulated. An attendee tries on a Galaxy Ring wearable smart device at the Samsung Electronics Co. Unpacked launch in Paris. Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty Images 'As a physician, we collect about, probably less than 1% of the patient data, and we use that 1% data to make diagnostic and treatment decisions,' said Pak, who was the chief medical officer for 3M Health Information Systems before joining Samsung. 'We don't know if the patient's exercising … if they are eating right.' The smartwatch update will include a new feature for measuring whether wearers are eating enough antioxidants. It works by shining LED lights at different wavelengths on the wearer's skin, which it says can estimate their levels of beta carotene, a type of antioxidant found in foods like carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach. To operate the feature, the user takes off the watch and presses the sensor on the back. Pak notes that the feature estimates if users have enough antioxidants in their system rather than qualify their vegetable intake. He said the feature went through clinical trials that involved measuring beta carotene levels in the blood. The update also includes bedtime recommendations and a 'running coach,' which creates training programs to help wearers hit their running goals. It comes after Apple announced its own Apple Watch coach on June 9 called Workout Buddy. Pak says Samsung has an AI-powered health chatbot in the works but couldn't share more details with CNN since there hasn't been an announcement on a project launch. Apple is also said to be working on a similar tool, according to Bloomberg. Samsung's Stephanie Chosen speaks about the Galaxy Watch watches, Pak thinks AI-powered smart glasses present an opportunity for new types of health features, particularly meal logging. He says new technology may soon tell whether a person is eating too fast or if their meal has allergens by analyzing their plate using AI models working in conjunction with glasses. Developers have already created services that claim to analyze nutritional contents of food by snapping photos and analyzing them through ChatGPT or Google's Gemini models. 'I don't think it's a technology problem,' said Pak. 'I think it's just a packaging of the technology capabilities that we have today.' Samsung previously said it was developing a pair of smart glasses to run on Google's new Android XR software. But Samsung's smartwatches don't work with iPhones, a challenging limitation since Apple owns nearly 20% of the market. Samsung stopped making its watches compatible with iPhones several years ago, likely a move to convince users to remain loyal to its own phones. However, Pak hasn't ruled out the possibility of working with Apple again. 'I think there are always discussions about this,' he said. 'There are active discussions, but I think no decision has been made in terms of timing.'
The Star
5 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Samsung is building a hub for patients to share data with doctors
Samsung Electronics Co. plans to develop a hub for users to share health data directly with doctors in between visits, stepping up competition in the technology-driven health care race. During appointments, doctors often share recommendations or fitness suggestions – but it's not always easy to remember the guidance. In an interview, Samsung health executive Dr. Hon Pak said the company is working on tools to cut down that disconnect, port data collected on watches into a central location and nudge users to stay on top of goals provided by doctors. "There are a lot of innovations out there but it's siloed,' Pak said. "We think there's a responsibility and a potential for bringing the experience into an ecosystem so that the users have a more simple experience rather than having 10 different apps to manage your condition.' That new hub won't launch for a while, but the company on Monday announced new features for its smartwatches. The enhancements, coming as part of a One UI 8 software update, will include tools for measuring antioxidant levels and vascular load as well as a running coach and sleep management upgrades. The features will be available on last year's Samsung Galaxy Watch models, and the bedtime coach tool will come to the Galaxy Watch 5 and more recent devices. They will launch as part of a beta program this month in the US and South Korea. To check antioxidant levels on a new-generation Samsung watch, users will be able to press their finger tip against the sensors on the device's back. If needed, the feature can then share suggested nutritional changes – such as eating antioxidant-rich foods like berries – to improve readings. The vascular load feature measures pulse waves while the user sleeps to determine how much pressure they're putting on their arteries. The aim is to better identify the risk for a stroke and other cardiovascular issues. The new running feature helps people train for races after analysing baseline running performance. There's also an enhancement that suggests to a user when they should go to sleep based on data it has analysed over the past several days. Smartwatches, which were originally intended as companion devices for viewing smartphone notifications and using apps, are increasingly blurring the lines with sports watches and in some cases medical-grade wearables. Other brands, including Apple Inc., Garmin Ltd. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, have made strides in measuring heart conditions and sleep. The shift toward putting more health features in wearables dovetails with other trends, Pak said, including increases in chronic diseases, workforce shortages and rising health care costs. That has led to more people seeking care from home. "The burden is now on the patients and the families that have to provide that care,' he said. "So with that, we have to be in the home.' Samsung has about 68 million monthly active customers using its health platform, Pak said. More health sensors will come to Samsung devices in the future, including earbuds, he said. The South Korea-based technology giant remains at work on features related to blood pressure tracking – without a cuff for calibration – and non-invasive glucose tracking. But those enhancements remain years away. – Bloomberg
Phone Arena
5 days ago
- Phone Arena
This new software update may have left this particular Galaxy Watch model behind
The Galaxy Watch 4 may be nearing the end of its software journey. Samsung has just launched the One UI 8 Watch beta based on Wear OS 6, but this latest update comes with a small catch that might mean a lot for owners of its older smartwatches. In a beta rollout notice shared on Samsung's official forums, the company notes that only users with the Galaxy Watch 5 or newer models are eligible to join the program. While Samsung didn't come out and say that the Watch 4 won't get the new One UI 8 Watch software, the absence of the 2021 model from the list speaks volumes. The Galaxy Watch 4 was Samsung's first smartwatch to switch from Tizen to the revamped Wear OS platform, launching in August 2021. It helped mark a major turning point for Android-based wearables. But that same August date now seems to work against it. Samsung's unofficial update policy for smartwatches has typically included about three years of major support. That puts the Watch 4 on a tight deadline before it ages out — and Wear OS 6 may not arrive in time. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Series went on sale nationwide in August 2021. | Image credit — Samsung To be clear, Samsung's official three-year promise originally applied to its older Tizen-based wearables, not necessarily to newer Wear OS models. That gives the company some wiggle room, though history suggests the clock is ticking. The Galaxy Watch 3, for example, received its final update in late 2023, just three years after launch. The Watch 4 last received an update in May 2025. As for what this means in practice, there's still a chance that smaller updates or security patches could arrive later. But based on the way the One UI 8 Watch rollout is being handled, it seems unlikely that major updates are still planned for the Galaxy Watch 4. It's not exactly unexpected. Devices with limited hardware typically fall off the update roadmap once new features outgrow the older chipsets. Samsung isn't alone in this — both Google's and Apple's smartwatches also follow similar lifespans. Apple generally supports its Apple Watches with software updates and hardware repairs for a minimum of five years from when the product was last sold, which can sometimes bring the support window up to seven years. That said, it would have been nice to see Samsung officially confirm its plans, especially for customers who bought the Watch 4 expecting long-term support. On the flip side, those still using the device can take some comfort in knowing it had a strong run, and the wearable space continues to evolve quickly.
Business Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Business Times
Samsung is building a hub for patients to share data with doctors
[NEW YORK] Samsung Electronics plans to develop a hub for users to share health data directly with doctors in between visits, stepping up competition in the technology-driven healthcare race. During appointments, doctors often share recommendations or fitness suggestions – but it's not always easy to remember the guidance. In an interview, Samsung health executive Dr Hon Pak said the company is working on tools to cut down that disconnect, port data collected on watches into a central location and nudge users to stay on top of goals provided by doctors. 'There are a lot of innovations out there but it's siloed,' Pak said. 'We think there's a responsibility and a potential for bringing the experience into an ecosystem so that the users have a more simple experience rather than having 10 different apps to manage your condition.' That new hub will not launch for a while, but the company on Monday (Jun 16) announced new features for its smartwatches. The enhancements, coming as part of a One UI 8 software update, will include tools for measuring antioxidant levels and vascular load as well as a running coach and sleep management upgrades. The features will be available on last year's Samsung Galaxy Watch models, and the bedtime coach tool will come to the Galaxy Watch 5 and more recent devices. They will launch as part of a beta programme this month in the US and South Korea. To check antioxidant levels on a new-generation Samsung watch, users will be able to press their fingertips against the sensors on the device's back. If needed, the feature can then share suggested nutritional changes – such as eating antioxidant-rich foods such as berries – to improve readings. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The vascular load feature measures pulse waves while the user sleeps to determine how much pressure they are putting on their arteries. The aim is to better identify the risk for a stroke and other cardiovascular issues. The new running feature helps people train for races after analysing baseline running performance. There's also an enhancement that suggests to a user when they should go to sleep based on data it has analysed over the past several days. Smartwatches, which were originally intended as companion devices for viewing smartphone notifications and using apps, are increasingly blurring the lines with sports watches and in some cases medical-grade wearables. Other brands, including Apple, Garmin and Alphabet's Google, have made strides in measuring heart conditions and sleep. The shift towards putting more health features in wearables dovetails with other trends, Pak said, including increases in chronic diseases, workforce shortages and rising healthcare costs. That has led to more people seeking care from home. 'The burden is now on the patients and the families that have to provide that care,' he said. 'So with that, we have to be in the home.' Samsung has about 68 million monthly active customers using its health platform, Pak said. More health sensors will come to Samsung devices in the future, including earbuds, he added. The South Korea-based technology giant remains at work on features related to blood pressure tracking – without a cuff for calibration – and non-invasive glucose tracking. But those enhancements remain years away. BLOOMBERG
