Samsung's upgraded sleep apnea feature is available now on the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch 9, after FDA clearance in July. It needs two nights of data in 10 days and ships through the Samsung Health Monitor app. Galaxy Watch 7 and 8 come later.
If you own a Galaxy Ring or a Galaxy Watch 9, update the Samsung Health Monitor app and you can run Samsung’s upgraded sleep apnea check. Samsung announced on November 3 that the feature is available now on Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring. The FDA cleared the updated version in July, and Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved it in October. Samsung says the Galaxy Ring is the first smart ring with sleep apnea risk detection.
Samsung names no fee. The feature comes through the Samsung Health Monitor app, so for current owners it is a software update.
What changed from the 2024 version
Samsung’s first Sleep Apnea feature got FDA De Novo authorization in February 2024 and ran only on Galaxy Watch. It gave a risk result for moderate to severe sleep apnea. The new algorithm, per Samsung, looks at vitals during sleep in more depth and reports the level of breathing disruptions it detects. Engadget reports the app now sorts results into mild, occasional or frequent.
The rules for using it, from Samsung’s release:
- Devices: Galaxy Ring, and Galaxy Watch 9 running Wear OS 7.0 or later. Support for Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch 8 comes in later software updates. Android Authority also lists the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.
- Data: two nights of valid data within a 10-day window. Engadget reports each night needs at least five hours of sleep.
- Who it’s for: adults 18 and older who have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Samsung says it does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a clinician.
- Where: Android Authority reports the rollout covers the US and South Korea. Samsung’s own release says “now available” without a country list, and says it will expand availability.
The ring is the news for sleep trackers
This matters most if you are choosing between a ring and a watch for sleep. Engadget notes that Oura does not offer FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, though it tracks breathing disturbances. A ring is easier to wear every night than a watch, and Samsung’s two-nights-in-10-days requirement is light.
Don’t buy a ring only for this. It screens for signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, and a flag means you book a sleep study with a doctor, nothing more. If you already sleep in a Galaxy Ring or Watch 9, run it once. If you snore, wake up tired, or a partner has noticed pauses in your breathing, it is a free first step before that appointment.
This updates our October 29 brief, which covered the Korean launch when the US status was still open. I haven’t tested this feature. For how I’d pick a sleep tracker, see best sleep tracker.
Source: Samsung Newsroom, November 3, 2026. Also reported by Engadget and Android Authority.