Samsung is giving us a preview of what to expect from One UI 8 Watch, which will debut with the Galaxy Watch 8 series. It will also be released to older Galaxy Watches in the coming weeks to bring new fitness and health features, such as Antioxidant Index, Bedtime Guidance, Running Coach, and Vascular Load.
All these new features will help improve your health by building better habits.
One UI 8 Watch brings new health features
With each new version of One UI Watch, Samsung adds new health features to Galaxy Watches. One UI 8 Watch brings features like Antioxidant Index, Bedtime Guidance, Running Coach, and Vascular Load. Collectively, they help Galaxy Watch users improve fitness, heart health, nutrition, and sleep.
Antioxidant Index: This feature can measure your carotenoid levels in just five seconds using a Galaxy Watch’s light-activated BioActive Sensor. Cartenoids are antioxidants found in green and orange fruits and vegitables.
Behavioral factors like alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, smoking, stress, and UV exposure can increase free radicals in your body, and they are linked to accelerated aging. When you consume food that has cartenoids, it helps increase the antioxidant levels and help fight free radicals, thus deaccelerate aging.
Antioxidant Index is currently a Labs (beta) feature, and it can be used after placing your thumb on a compatible Galaxy Watch’s BioActive Sensor and holding it for five seconds while the Galaxy Watch takes the measurement.
Bedtime Guidance: Samsung has a huge focus on helping people improve sleep quality, which is why it released the Sleep Apnea Detection feature to Galaxy Watches last year. With One UI 8 Watch, the South Korean firm is bringing additional tools that can help you improve your sleep schedule.
Bedtime Guidance analyzes your lifestyle and your sleep pattern over the past three days to evaluate your need for sleep pressure and your circadian rhythm. It then suggests you an optimal bedtime that can maximize your alertness the next day. The Galaxy Watch then sends reminders to help you stick to that schedule. This feature can be particularly helpful if you had periods of irregular bedtimes.
Running Coach: It offers motivation and real-time guidance during running. With this feature, Galaxy Watches can create a customized training program based on your fitness levels to help you achieve your running goals.
To use this feature, wear your Galaxy Watch and run for 12 minutes. Running Coach will then analyzes your performance and running level on a scale from 1 to 10. You will then receive a detailed training plan that can help you achieve 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon runs based on your level. Once you complete your training program, you will be promoted to the next level and your performance will improve.
Many runners either face injuries by over pacing or don’t push their bodies enough to improve their performance. With Running Coach, Samsung aims to improve your running performance while avoiding injuries.
Vascular Load: With One UI 8 Watch, compatible Galaxy Watches can measure your vascular load while sleeping. It is the amount of stress on your vascular system while you are sleeping.
The vascular system carries blood througout your body to deliver oxygen and nutrients and removes waste. It is a strong indicator to determine strong heart health and it should dip during the sleep. However, excessive fluctuations can have a negative impact on your heart health, and that can be determined by increased vascular load.
A Galaxy Watch can measure your vascular load and provide insights about it if you wear it while sleeping for three days continuously during a period of 14 days.
Dr. Hon Pak, senior vice president and the head of Digital Health Team at Samsung MX, said, “Sleep remains a cornerstone of our approach to health, as it influences physical and mental well-being, social relationships and even work performance. Now, we envision our Galaxy Watch delivering holistic insights centered around sleep — insights that lead to meaningful changes in daily life. We believe this aligns with our vision of empowering you to lead healthier lives through proactive care and holistic health management.“
For now, Samsung has just revealed the health and fitness features that are coming with One UI 8 Watch. However, it could announce other improvements, such as UI changes, new and improved apps, and better ecosystem integrations that will come as a part of the upcoming software.
