Samsung is rolling out a significant overhaul of its Health app beginning June 8, repositioning the platform from a passive data tracker into a proactive, Artificial Intelligence-powered wellness companion that draws direct comparisons with Google’s recently updated Health app. The update, described by Samsung as a “major update,” is designed to shift the app from a passive overview of stats to a more tailored, proactive experience, leaning heavily on Artificial Intelligence to analyse key metrics and provide actionable guidance.
The redesigned homepage leads with Artificial Intelligence, surfacing daily wellness tips and an overall Energy Score based on collected data, while five key sub-categories cover Sleep, Activity, Nutrition, Mindfulness, and Vitals. The Vitals section measures heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and skin temperature as soon as the user wakes up, flagging any significant deviation from their baseline. New additions also include a Heart Health Score replacing the older Vascular Load metric, a Daily Cardio Load tracker focusing on cardiovascular strain from aerobic exercise, and a Fitness Index combining heart rate, VO2 max, and daily steps to estimate physical fitness relative to peers. The overall direction mirrors what Google has done with its Health app following the retirement of the Fitbit application, with both platforms using Artificial Intelligence to simplify complex health data into digestible, actionable scores.
The most commercially significant difference between the two platforms, however, is pricing. If a user has a compatible Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring, they can access the full suite of features in the Samsung Health app entirely free of charge. By contrast, much of the Google Health app’s functionality is locked behind a Google Health Premium subscription costing £7.99 or $9.99 per month, or £79.99 and $99.99 annually, which includes proactive Artificial Intelligence-based insights and the Gemini-powered Google Health Coach that acts as a 24-hour health advisor drawing on the user’s personal health data. For users already invested in the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem, the subscription-free model is a meaningful advantage, particularly as health and fitness app subscriptions become an increasingly common expenditure across the consumer technology space.
There is, however, an important limitation: the new Artificial Intelligence-powered features will initially be exclusive to the upcoming Galaxy Watch 9 series, which is expected to launch on July 22. It remains unclear whether older models including the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, both of which carry the sensors necessary to collect the required data, will receive the upgrade at a later date, leaving existing Galaxy Watch owners with an updated app interface but without access to the new scoring features until Samsung confirms broader compatibility.
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