Months after announcing the Galaxy Watch 5 series, have a temperature sensor. The Fitbit Sense 2 also has a temperature sensor, but its cheaper sibling, the Versa 4, skips on it.
Samsung announced in early 2023 that the Galaxy Watch 5's temperature sensor will finally be functional, and the feature arrived for 32 countries in April. The manufacturer is partnering with Natural Cycles, a company that is known for its FDA-cleared fertility app of the same name. By combining the temperature sensor of the Galaxy Watch 5 with Natural Cycles' algorithm, Samsung says s will be able to access advanced cycle tracking through the Cycle Tracking feature on the watch. Analyzed data will provide s with more accurate details of their menstrual cycle.
The Update Arrives For Galaxy Watch 5
The Cycle Tracking feature on the Galaxy Watch 5 has been approved by The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea. It has also been ed with the FDA and meets CE marking requirements. The temperature sensor uses infrared technology for more accurate readings, and recorded data is encrypted and stored locally on the device, so even Samsung won't have access to this information. Owners of the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro have access to the feature.
However, like the Galaxy Watch 5's other health-tracking features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring, cycle tracking will only be available in select regions, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, , , Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S. Samsung will likely activate the hardware and roll out the software feature once it receives regional approval.
How To Turn On Skin Temperature Tracking
To turn on temperature tracking, s will have to go to the Samsung Health app on their smartphone and enable ‘Predict period with skin temp.’ This option is found under the ‘Cycle Tracking’ menu, where the will be asked to update the calendar with the dates of their most recent period. With skin temperature tracking turned on, s will be able to see how their readings have varied over the course of their cycle, which can be used to help predict things like ovulation, periods, and fertile windows.
While this is the first time Natural Cycles will partner directly with a smartwatch maker, it is not the first wearable to offer the feature. The Oura Ring, which also has a temperature sensor, uses Natural Cycles' algorithm to provide s with skin temperature-based cycle tracking. The Galaxy Watch 5's temperature-based cycle tracking is also not unique, since other smartwatches, like the Apple Watch Series 8, offer a similar feature.