Samsung brings upgraded sleep apnea check to Galaxy Ring

Last week Samsung announced the upgraded version of its sleep apnea feature was approved in Korea, following the feature's FDA clearance in the US in July. Today the company said the updated capability is now available in the US, including support for the Galaxy Ring.

Samsung says the Galaxy Ring is the first smart ring with an FDA-cleared, over-the-counter sleep apnea risk detection feature. The original version of the function, which received De Novo authorization from the FDA in February 2024, could only indicate whether signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea were present. The upgraded release analyzes sleep vitals in greater depth and reports the level of breathing disruptions it detects, information Samsung says can help users have more productive conversations with their doctor.

Device support and deployment

On the smartwatch side, the feature is available now on the Galaxy Watch9 running Wear OS 7.0 or later. Samsung says the Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch8 will receive the capability via future software updates. Notably, the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is not mentioned in the US rollout, even though it appeared on the list for Korea.

Samsung highlights the Galaxy Ring's light design as a reason it can be worn comfortably through the night. The sleep apnea function resides in the Samsung Health Monitor app and requires a compatible Galaxy phone. It is intended for users aged 18 and up, and it needs two nights of valid data collected within a 10-day period to produce a result. The company stresses the feature is not intended for people who have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea and is not a replacement for a clinical diagnosis from a qualified clinician.