Starting today, select Galaxy users in the U.S. can conveniently monitor and track their blood pressure right from their wrist with help from Galaxy Watch and the Samsung Health Monitor App. And honestly? It’s about time.
Blood pressure tracking has been famously left out of the Galaxy Watch’s bag of tricks in the US since its arrival on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 in 2020.
That’s whooping six years. The feature has been live in numerous regions for years, including Canada, the UK, and across Europe, before finally receiving regulatory clearance in the US.
Canada, which is literally right next door. If you lived in Toronto, you could measure your blood pressure on your wrist in 2020. But if you lived in Detroit, 20 minutes away? Hard luck.
Think about this for a second. About 119.9 million adults in the United States are suffering from high blood pressure, according to the data released by Million Hearts. That’s nearly HALF of all adults in the country. And Samsung had the technology ready, working, and deployed everywhere except here. For years.
I get that FDA approval is a thing. Regulations matter. But Samsung community forums are filled with frustrated users who bought watches specifically for this feature, only to find it locked behind regulatory barriers. And Samsung just stayed silent. No timeline. No updates. Nothing. That’s the part that stings.
Here’s the kicker. Apple beat Samsung to the punch with its own FDA-cleared hypertension detection feature on the Apple Watch back in September 2025, as reported by Reuters. Samsung had the tech first, had it working globally, and still got beaten to the US market by Apple. That’s embarrassing.
Now let’s talk about how it actually works, because there’s a catch. To ensure accuracy, users are required to calibrate their Galaxy watch using an upper arm cuff (sold separately) every 28 days. Every. Single. Month. You need to own a traditional blood pressure cuff and go through a whole calibration process, or this feature is completely useless.
I’m torn on this. On one hand, I appreciate that Samsung is being responsible about accuracy. On the other hand, if I have to bust out a regular blood pressure cuff every month anyway, what’s the point?
The feature will roll out to Galaxy Watch 4 and newer models, but only if you jump through these hoops.
And there’s another frustrating limitation. Since the tool is dependent on the Samsung Health Monitor app, official use will be limited to watches paired with Galaxy phones. So, if you bought a Galaxy Watch but you’re using it with a different Android phone? Sorry. You’re locked out. That’s an FDA thing, apparently, but it still sucks.
The feature itself does give you real data, though. Compatible Galaxy Watches measure systolic and diastolic blood pressure along with your heart rate using the internal heart rate monitoring sensors. That’s more detailed than what Apple offers. Apple Watch (Series 9 and later) detects signs of hypertension and sends alerts, but does not display numeric readings. Samsung actually gives you the numbers.
There is also some good news buried in here.
Later this year, that will also include the introduction of passive monitoring to show blood pressure trends over time. If that works well, it could be a game-changer. Automatic tracking without needing to stop and take a reading manually? That’s what we actually need.
But I can’t shake the frustration. This feature existed. It worked. It was available everywhere except here. And Samsung just let US customers sit in the dark for years while people in other countries used it daily.
I’m glad it’s finally here. Truly. But Samsung should have fought harder, moved faster, or at least communicated better. US Galaxy Watch owners deserved more than silence.
If you’ve got a Galaxy Watch 4 or newer and you’ve been waiting for this, go check your Samsung Health Monitor app. The rollout started yesterday. Just don’t forget to budget for that blood pressure cuff.
