Samsung beats Apple to the FDA-cleared sleep apnea punch on Galaxy Watches،
As if Samsung's best smartwatches weren't already incredibly proficient at closely monitoring the health and well-being of their users, another potentially life-saving tool is officially set to further improve this aspect of select Galaxy Watch models at the moment. UNITED STATES.
When can you start using the feature?
In the United States, Samsung plans to turn on the sleep apnea detection switch in its proprietary Health Monitor app at some point during the “third trimester,” which seems like a pretty distant deadline, but it should still be ahead of Apple.
As with other potentially therapeutic features, Samsung is taking great pains to add a bunch of asterisks to today's announcement, emphasizing that your Galaxy Watch should in no way replace a “traditional method of diagnosis and treatment.” treatment by a qualified clinician.
It is equally important to note that the Samsung Health Monitor app's sleep apnea feature is only recommended for people over the age of 22 without a pre-existing diagnosis for this very serious condition, which apparently affects as many as 25% of all men. and 10 percent of women in the United States.
The ball is now in Apple's court
Basically, the idea here is to detect possible indications of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which can then be “traditionally” confirmed (or debunked) by a healthcare professional and treated accordingly.
While getting clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any such functionality is obviously an important thing, the agency's De Novo label for the device's apnea detection system Samsung sleep does not automatically mean that the technology is verified to be reliable and accurate in all scenarios.