Samsung's Galaxy Ring gets FDA approval for advanced sleep apnea detection

Samsung's Galaxy Ring gets FDA approval for advanced sleep apnea detection

The upgraded feature uses AI to detect the number of breathing disruptions for every hour you sleep.

Samsung's Galaxy Ring now offers more advanced sleep apnea detection following FDA approval of the new feature in July, the company announced. The feature may give users new clues about why they feel exhausted even after sleeping through the night.

Samsung first received so-called De Novo FDA authorization for sleep apnea detection on its Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring devices back in February 2024. (De Novo is used for health products or features that have never been on the market before and don't pose any danger to a user's health.) The original approval only covered detection for symptoms of moderate to severe sleep apnea.

The new version does that, but also uses AI to detect the frequency of breathing disruptions for every hour you sleep. Provided you sleep at least five hours for two nights over a ten-day period, Samsung's Health Monitor app can tell you if you have mild, occasional or frequent sleep apnea. Samsung points out that only a physician can do a proper sleep apnea diagnosis, but the device "can lead to productive conversations with healthcare professionals."

Neither of Samsung's primary Galaxy Ring competitors, Oura and Superhuman, offer FDA-approved sleep apnea detection. However, both can track nighttime disturbances that may indicate signs of the condition. Samsung and Oura are currently locked in a legal dispute over smart ring patents, with a preliminary decision expected to be handed down soon.

Along with the Galaxy Ring, the advanced sleep apnea detection feature is now available on the Galaxy Watch 9 with Wear OS 7.0 or later. It will also come to the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 8 through software updates down the road. If you need further help with your slumber, Samsung recently revamped its Sleep Coaching feature to require less data than before.