ECG firmware update lands on Galaxy Watch 3, Watch Active 2 in Russia

The highly anticipated ECG and blood pressure firmware update for the Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 was released in 31 markets earlier this year, but some key regions such as Russia were left out. Thankfully, the roll-out continues and Samsung confirmed today that the two additional health-tracking feature are now becoming available in Russia thanks to a new firmware update that’s being distributed to both the Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Galaxy smartwatch users who have never used the blood pressure reading feature before will be required to set up the Samsung Health Monitor app first. It’s available at the Galaxy Store and it has to be installed on the smartphone that’s connected to the Galaxy Watch 3 / Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Once the app is installed, users will have to calibrate the smartwatch for accurate measurements using a dedicated blood pressure monitor. Of course, nothing’s stopping Galaxy Watch 3 or Galaxy Watch Active 2 owners from taking blood pressure readings without calibrating the sensors using medical equipment first, but this would defeat the purpose.

As for the ECG functionality, it can be used to determine if the user has a sinus rhythm or suffers from atrial fibrillation. Once an ECG is performed using the Galaxy Watch 3 / Galaxy Watch Active 2, the ECG data will be synchronized with the connected smartphone in the form of a PDF report.

Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 owners in Russia who want to use the new ECG and blood pressure monitoring features will have to download the aforementioned Samsung Health Monitor app from the Galaxy Store, and they’re also required to update the basic Samsung Health app on their smartphones to enable the ECG and blood pressure reading functionalities.