Samsung Health app gets big refresh ahead of Galaxy Watch 9 release

Samsung has a new smartwatch coming out, the Galaxy Watch 9. We haven't seen it yet, but the Samsung Health app is already getting ready for its arrival.

The Korean tech giant announced in a blog post on Thursday that Samsung Health is getting an update starting on June 8 that will "showcase the key health features included in the upcoming Galaxy Watch." Of course, we haven't actually seen the watch yet (which we expect to be similar to the Galaxy Watch 8), but all available information suggests it will be announced in late July at a Galaxy Unpacked event in London.

Here's the Vitals screen. Credit: Samsung

As with the recent Google Health app update, AI is very much at the center of the new Samsung health portal.

“Samsung Health is evolving to connect health data measured by the Galaxy Watch with AI-based insights, enabling users to understand their physical condition more easily and intuitively,” said Hon Pak, Samsung SVP and Head of the Digital Health Team, in a blog post. "Samsung Electronics will continue to expand proactive and personalized health management experiences based on the connected Galaxy ecosystem and digital health innovations."

Anyway, as for the specific Samsung Health update, it brings a UI overhaul and some key new features that might hint at what to expect from the Galaxy Watch 9.

Samsung has "streamlined" (their words) the layout of the app into five key components: Sleep, Activity, Nutrition, Mindfulness, and Vitals. The Vitals display is a new one, as it studies several metrics, including heart rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen, while you sleep in order to compare them to your baselines and identify any potential problems.

There's also a new Heart Health Score, which combines several heart-related metrics into one easy-to-digest score. The new app also includes a Daily Cardio Load measurement, as well as a Fitness Index that exists to judge the effectiveness of your workouts. In all, it sounds like a pretty substantial update befitting a brand new smartwatch. We'll likely find out more in late July at the rumored Galaxy Unpacked event.