Samsung is removing Vascular Load, an experimental health feature, from Galaxy Watches in the United States. The company posted a notice inside the Samsung Health app alerting US users to the change. Users in other countries will keep access to the feature.
The timing is notable. Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 later this month, both of which will carry new health and fitness tools. So while the company adds features on one hand, it is taking one away with the other, at least for Americans.
According to SamMobile, Samsung has not given an official reason for the removal. But because the feature is only being pulled in the US, many observers believe the FDA is involved. The agency has strict rules about what counts as a medical device and what health claims wearables can make, and features that measure cardiovascular metrics often attract scrutiny.
Vascular Load first appeared on the Galaxy Watch 7 and the original Galaxy Watch Ultra in 2024. It has been in beta ever since. The feature works by using a compatible watch’s heart rate sensor to collect data over at least seven days. It then analyzes PPG waveforms, which track changes in blood volume, to estimate vascular stiffness and the overall stress placed on your cardiovascular system during sleep. In short, it was designed to give users an early signal about the health of their arteries.
This kind of passive, overnight health monitoring is exactly the area where wearables and regulators have been on a collision course for years. Apple has faced similar friction with features like blood oxygen tracking, which was briefly disabled on Apple Watch models in the US following a patent dispute that also touched on FDA-related concerns. Samsung now appears to be navigating its own version of that tension.
For users who have been using Vascular Load, there are a few things worth knowing before the feature disappears:
- Once removed, Vascular Load data will no longer show up in the Samsung Health app
- You can download your existing data by going to More options, then Settings, then Download personal data
- The feature will remain available in Samsung Health for users outside the United States
The good news is that Samsung is not leaving a total gap. The company is introducing a new feature called Blood Pressure Trend, which will take automatic blood pressure readings at regular intervals and display patterns over time. Samsung Health will then offer tips to help users stay within a healthy range. Samsung says Blood Pressure Trend is coming to “upcoming Galaxy Watch models,” which points directly to the Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2, arriving with the One UI 9 Watch update expected later this month.
Whether Blood Pressure Trend will face the same regulatory headwinds in the US remains to be seen. Blood pressure monitoring on smartwatches has been a thorny area globally, with different countries requiring different levels of clinical validation before approving such features. Samsung has previously restricted blood pressure features to specific markets, so it would not be surprising if the rollout of Blood Pressure Trend looks different depending on where you live.
For now, US Galaxy Watch owners should back up their Vascular Load data before the feature disappears and keep an eye on what the Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 actually deliver when they go on sale.