Galaxy Watch9 and Watch Ultra 2 Add Blood Pressure Trend, Drop Vascular Load

Samsung is removing the Vascular Load feature from Galaxy Watch devices in the United States, according to an official notice inside the Samsung Health app, and replacing it with a new Blood Pressure Trend tool. The change arrives with the One UI 9 Watch update, expected in late July alongside the new Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

What is going away
Vascular Load launched last year as an experimental "Labs" feature that used the watch's optical heart rate sensor to estimate overnight stress on the cardiovascular system. Samsung has not given a public reason for pulling it, and the change applies only in the US, which points to a regulatory rather than technical cause.

What replaces it
Blood Pressure Trend arrives on the upcoming Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, tracking readings over weeks instead of producing a single overnight score. Setup requires calibrating the watch against a traditional blood pressure cuff, after which the watch shows a trend line rather than one daily number.

Save your data before the switch
Existing Vascular Load history disappears from Samsung Health once the update lands. Samsung's own guidance is to open More options, then Settings, then Download personal data, before the feature is turned off for US users.

New hardware ships alongside the update
The software change lands with new hardware. Samsung is widely expected to announce the Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at a Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22 in London, alongside new Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip phones.

Why the US is treated differently
Samsung has offered blood pressure monitoring on Galaxy Watch since the Watch Active 2, but the feature has never received FDA clearance in the US. Vascular Load blended heart rate variability with blood pressure inputs into a single index, which likely placed it in a gray zone regulators were no longer willing to overlook. A calibrated trend line, tied to a familiar clinical measurement, is an easier feature to explain and defend.

What current owners should expect
Owners of older Galaxy Watch models will not gain Blood Pressure Trend automatically; Samsung says the feature is tied to the upcoming Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Vascular Load will keep working for now in markets outside the US, though Samsung has not said how long that will remain the case.

Protect your Galaxy Watch9 or Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 with a Komodoty band
Whichever Galaxy Watch model you're wearing while these health features change, the band matters as much as the software running underneath it. Komodoty makes precision watch bands in materials like aramid fiber, Alcantara, and slim wood, cut to fit Samsung's case sizes cleanly without covering the sensors that Blood Pressure Trend depends on. Browse the full lineup in the Komodoty watch bands collection.