Your device
What the Samsung Galaxy Watch (and Galaxy Ring) knows about you
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring are biometric-primary devices with FDA-cleared cardiac and sleep AI on the Watch, recorded in the new biometric form factor. The Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra, both from July 2024, carry a BioActive sensor combining optical heart-rate, electrical ECG, and bioimpedance sensing, while the Galaxy Ring announced in July 2024 carries an accelerometer, optical heart-rate, and skin-temperature sensor for sleep, heart rate, and an Energy Score but has no ECG and no FDA-cleared medical features. The Watch's clearances, held through the Samsung Health Monitor app, are an on-demand ECG cleared in 2021, an Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification for atrial fibrillation announced in May 2023, and a sleep-apnea feature authorized via FDA De Novo on February 9, 2024 as the first such feature authorized by the FDA, for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults 22 and older. A significant cap-flag applies to blood pressure: the Galaxy Watch's cuff-calibrated blood-pressure feature was available internationally for years but not FDA-cleared in the US, and when Samsung launched it to US users around March 31, 2026 it did so explicitly without FDA clearance under the agency's general-wellness low-risk-device policy, so it is a wellness carve-out rather than a medical clearance and marketing it as medical-grade blood pressure exceeds its regulatory status, while the Galaxy Ring carries no FDA-cleared medical features and should not be conflated with the Watch's clearances. The devices are sold by hardware purchase with no subscription, Samsung's clinical-validation posture is growing with a strong regulatory record but thinner independent peer-review than Apple, and the exact clearance number for the atrial-fibrillation feature and whether the US blood-pressure wellness launch will later pursue FDA clearance are not verified.
Track the Samsung Galaxy Watch (and Galaxy Ring) and we will tell you the moment its privacy, price, or safety record changes.
Track this device →What it knows about you
10 findings on record · 10 verified against primary sources
What it collects about you
Where your data goes
What you can control
What it collects about you
The data this device picks up.
Your location
Samsung collects nearby WiFi networks, cell tower info, and with your separate consent, precise GPS from your Galaxy Watch, and sends this to Samsung's servers.
Your body data
Samsung Galaxy Watch collects name, date of birth, contact information, device identifiers including IMEI and serial number, precise geolocation with separate consent, voice recordings when enabled, and biometric data; biometric data remains on the device and is not transferred to or accessed by Samsung.
Where your data goes
Who else can see it once it leaves the device.
Sent to the cloud
Health data, location info, and device usage logs are sent to Samsung's servers. Voice recordings are collected on Samsung servers when you use voice commands.
Shared with others
Samsung shares Galaxy Watch data with subsidiaries, affiliates, wireless carriers, financing partners, repair providers, and advertisers. This sharing may count as a sale under some US state privacy laws.
Selling your data
Samsung acknowledges that sharing data with business partners may qualify as a sale under some US state laws, and those partners control and manage the data they receive.
Selling your data
Samsung acknowledges that sharing of personal information may be considered a sale under certain privacy laws; where users have consented, Samsung may share personal information to deliver personalized ads; users can opt out of the sale of personal information, sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising, and processing for targeted advertising.
What you can control
Your say over the data it holds.
How long they keep it
Data is kept only as long as needed and then destroyed or anonymized, but no specific retention period in months or years is disclosed for health sensor data, location history, or voice recordings.
Kept on the device
Samsung Health stores data on your smartphone with encryption and hardware-backed security. The app detects unauthorized device changes and refuses to run in those cases.
Deleting your data
Samsung users have the right to request deletion, correction, access, and data portability; users can opt out of sale, sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising, and targeted advertising by clicking a link or calling 1-800-SAMSUNG; cookie-based targeted advertising can be opted out via browser preference signals.
How long they keep it
Samsung retains personal information no longer than necessary for the purpose collected; when no longer needed, information is destroyed, erased, or anonymized; physical and technical safeguards are in place but encryption is not explicitly mentioned in the policy.
The full record
- Specs
- Galaxy Watch 7 + Watch Ultra (Jul 2024) + Galaxy Ring (Jul 2024). Watch BioActive sensor (optical HR + electrical ECG + bioimpedance). Galaxy Ring: accelerometer + optical HR + skin temp (sleep/HR/Energy Score; NO ECG, NO FDA-cleared features). Health features via Samsung Health Monitor app (holds the FDA clearances). Hardware purchase; NO subscription.
- Form Factor
- biometric (biometric-primary smartwatch + smart ring; FDA-cleared cardiac/sleep AI on the Watch)