Galaxy Watch 5 temperature sensor unlocked by Samsung
Nearly nine months since their launch, Samsung has finally enabled temperature tracking on the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. This new feature supports detailed female health tracking by measuring the user’s core body temperature.
The sensor will eventually be used to monitor your skin temperature from the wrist while you sleep. But you will still need to wait for this to be enabled. When it goes live, it will work similar to how other companies, such as Fitbit and Whoop, have implemented the feature. Absolute values will not be available. Instead, a fundamental baseline will be established. Then you’ll get a chart and statistics showing how far you deviate from your norm.
Cycle tracking with the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 series
However, before we see that the skin temperature sensor will be used for female health tracking. The feature gives users a comprehensive understanding of their menstrual cycle as well as the ability to track it easily from their wrist. The existing Women’s health has been changed to Cycle tracking in the smartphone app.
The functionality comes courtesy of a collaboration between Samsung and Natural Cycles, which bills itself as a company dedicated to advancing women’s health through cutting-edge fertility technology. They’ve created the world’s first app that uses an algorithm to determine a user’s unique fertility status. This is based on body temperature and other key fertility indicators. The Natural Cycles app has already helped millions of women all over the world regain control of their fertility.
All of this sounds very similar to the functionality introduced by the Apple Watch a number of months back. Temperature is an important indicator for those who ovulate because it indicates ovulation through a biphasic shift. Most people have a lower temperature in the first part of their cycle, usually between 96° and 98° Fahrenheit. When you ovulate, this temperature rises by about four-tenths to one degree above normal.
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The BioActive Sensor and the infrared temperature sensor from Samsung are expected to provide accurate readings even if the user moves while sleeping. The data is encrypted and stored on the user’s device, giving them control and peace of mind over their health information.
It is great news that the company is finally starting to put the temperature sensor to use. The company says it is a progressive rollout to the Health app in the US, Korea and select European countries. Hopefully, the wait for skin temperature readings on the Samsung watch will be over soon as well.
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