What you need to know
- Samsung is improving the availability of health records, medication tracking, and meal logging in the Samsung Health app after partnering with leading health companies.
- The availability of these features will depend on your region, health provider, and device.
- Users in supported regions will start seeing these features on their Android 10+ devices in version 6.28 or higher of the Samsung Health app.
Samsung Health is becoming one of the best health and wellness platforms on Android, with Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch integration and Galaxy AI to make sense of all the data. Now, the company wants to show you more information in the Samsung Health app, it shared in a press release. It's doing so by adding a few new features and forming a partnership with a platform that aggregates data from some of the largest electronic medical record (EMR) systems in the U.S.
On top of that, Samsung Health is making medication tracking and meal logging easier, requiring only the use of a smartphone camera. These features are region-limited, but they're available on Android 10+ devices in version 6.28 or higher of the Samsung Health app.
Health records are at the heart of the Samsung Health improvements, thanks to a partnership with b.well Connected Health. Samsung says that b.well Connected Health collects data from many of the largest EMR systems in the U.S., including athenahealth, Cerner Health, Epic Systems and Veradigm. Users with health data stored in these systems and their health networks can view their medical records, lab results, and more directly in the Samsung Health app.
As you can see in the simulated Samsung Health app screenshots above, the company is presenting this data in a clear and concise way that should be easy for users to understand. It's similar to how vital statistics and other health information recorded by Samsung wearables are shown in the app.
The company says it aims to provide insights and recommendations based on the data, with an emphasis on preventative care. It won't try to diagnose you, but it may recommend you get a test or see a doctor to learn more about a concerning medical record or lab result.
Medication is not new to the Samsung Health app; it was introduced in the U.S. last year. However, adding medications to the platform will become a lot easier with a feature called visual search. You can use your phone's camera to scan a medication label and have it automatically added to Samsung Health. From there, you can monitor your medications, get dosage schedules, and receive notifications when you've missed a dose.
The feature is coming to South Korea and India, too. Users in India can be notified when they need a refill and request one online with the Samsung Health app, thanks to a partnership with Tata 1mg, a top digital healthcare platform in the country.
Medication warnings will be available in the U.S. and South Korea, supported by Elsevier and the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center (KPIC). It could help warn users about allergies, reactions, or medications to avoid while pregnant.
Finally, meal logging in the Samsung Health app is set to become effortless now that users can scan food barcode labels with their phone's camera. Pulling nutritional information from the Fatsecret database, you'll be able to see data from the food you eat in the Samsung Health app with a quick barcode scan. To start, this feature will be available in the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland.
Of course, you should carefully consider what health data you wish to share with third-party companies. The more companies you give health records to, the greater the risk of these records being leaked in a data breach. However, for those who feel comfortable sharing their health records and medical information with Samsung Health, these three new features will be abundantly useful. They aim to take medical records that could be confusing to the average person and present them in a way anyone can understand.
The pen is mightier
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the most powerful phones of 2024, which allows it to run useful and fun Galaxy AI features without missing a beat. It also sports a built in S Pen for added versatility and four rear cameras to get the bigger picture or zoom into the subject with incredible clarity.
