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You’d expect that purchasing a device would grant you access to all its features, right? If I buy a car, I’d be surprised if I couldn’t fasten the seat belts or adjust the air conditioning because I haven’t also purchased the brand-specific floor mats. Well, that’s what buying a Galaxy Watch has been like for the past six years.
The seemingly inconsequential Samsung Health Monitor app holds a host of important health and wellness monitoring features hostage to users who don’t meet certain conditions. While I’ll admit that regulatory and regional limitations are beyond Samsung’s control, there is one condition that certainly isn’t. To make the most of your Samsung Galaxy Watch, you need to pair it with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone , even if you own a brand-new Android handset.
Do you use a Samsung Galaxy phone with a Samsung Galaxy Watch?
What is Samsung Health Monitor, and why is it a problem?
Samsung Health Monitor is not the same as Samsung Health , the company’s overarching health tracking app that works across various Android phones. Instead, it only officially supports Samsung smartphones.
Health Monitor has been around since 2020, first launching in Korea with the Galaxy Watch Active 2 (remember that lovely timepiece?) to support its blood pressure and ECG features. It has since added two more tricks over the past six years, including irregular heart rhythm (AFib) and sleep apnea monitoring. These four features aren’t just throwaway numbers like the Energy Score that don’t point to potential weaknesses in your overall health — they’re fundamental indicators of potential underlying issues that affect billions of people.
According to the WHO , high blood pressure affects around 1.4 billion people aged 30 to 79. It’s regarded as a “major cause of premature death” across the globe.