Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and other previous models in India now support the Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification (IHRM) feature, the company announced on Wednesday. The feature uses the BioActive Sensor on Samsung’s range of smartwatches to alert the wearer of heart rhythm abnormalities that could indicate atrial fibrillation (AFib) – a life-threatening cardiovascular condition. While the feature was already available on Samsung smartwatches globally, the South Korean tech conglomerate is now bringing it to the Indian market as well.
IHRM notification on Samsung Galaxy watches
In a press release, Samsung announced the rollout of IHRM notifications in India. The feature is supported across generations of the company’s smartwatches, including the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch 6, Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4. According to Samsung, it can be found in the Samsung Health Monitor app.
The IHRM feature is said to work in conjunction with existing blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring capabilities to detect irregular heart rhythms in the background. If multiple readings appear irregular, the Galaxy Watch will prompt the user to take an ECG for a better reading as a proactive step against potential AFib activity. To access the feature, Galaxy Watch users will need to update the Samsung Health Monitor app through the Galaxy Store and toggle it on or off in the settings menu.
In recent years, there have been numerous cases of smartwatches from Samsung and Apple saving lives by alerting the wearer to an irregular heartbeat, prompting them to consult a doctor.
In an incident in March 2023, a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro user was injured reportedly checked the ECG function “purely out of curiosity”, which revealed troubling symptoms such as sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation. It prompted the wearer to visit a local clinic where, after a check-up, they were told they were suffering from a condition known as cardiac arrhythmia.
In several other cases, the underlying problems were considered life-threatening and could have been disastrous if the carriers had not sought medical attention.
