Samsung Galaxy Watch sleep apnea function receives CE certification and thus expanded global availability

Samsung recently announced in a press release that the Galaxy Watch's sleep apnea feature — available via the Samsung Health Monitor app — has received CE certification. This makes the feature available in 34 European countries, as well as in Australia and Singapore, bringing the total to 70. Users in these countries no longer have to resort to tricks such as falsely stating their place of residence. The CE certification builds upon the De Novo authorization that Samsung had received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February, which was the first time a wearable device for detecting moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea had received such an approval. 

Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by repetitive pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing, causing constant wake-up reactions and severely disrupting normal sleep. This can lead to daytime fatigue, elevated blood pressure and thus a myriad of downstream health problems. Sleep apnea can go undetected for a long time precisely because those affected are unaware that their sleep is being repeatedly disturbed.

Samsung Health is said to not only detect sleep apnea but also offer personalized sleep coaching and help optimize the sleep environment. The feature is available on the Galaxy Watch 4 and newer smartwatches, but is officially only available on Galaxy smartphones with Android 12 or higher.