Samsung's upgraded sleep apnea detection approved in Korea, GSMArena reports

GSMArena reports that Samsung's upgraded sleep apnea detection feature has been approved by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, after FDA approval in July. The outlet says the new version uses an AI algorithm to count breathing disruptions per hour during sleep and sorts results into mild, occasional or frequent levels.

According to GSMArena, the feature is available through the Samsung Health Monitor app on a Galaxy device and requires at least five hours of sleep on two occasions within ten days to produce a result. In Korea, it will roll out starting in November, first to Galaxy Watch Ultra2, Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Ring, then to Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch8 running Wear OS 7.0 or later through software updates.

GSMArena says Samsung notes the original feature, which only indicates whether signs of sleep apnea were detected, remains available on Galaxy Watch4 and newer models running Wear OS 5.0 or later. The company also cites US figures saying about 25% of men and 10% of women have sleep apnea, with many unaware, and says results can be a useful reference when talking to a specialist.