Samsung Galaxy Watch users in the United States are losing a health feature starting late July 2026. Vascular Load, the experimental Samsung Health Labs tool that estimates cardiovascular stress on blood vessels during sleep, will be removed with the One UI 9 Watch update and Samsung Health version 7.0. The feature stays available everywhere else globally, which immediately raises the obvious question: why only the US?
Samsung hasn’t provided an official explanation. The US-only removal has led most observers to point toward FDA regulatory considerations as the most likely reason but Samsung hasn’t confirmed that either, so treat that as informed speculation rather than fact.
Vascular Load worked by using the Galaxy Watch’s PPG heart-rate sensor to measure changes in blood volume and vascular stiffness during sleep, generating an estimate of cardiovascular stress. Samsung always positioned it as a wellness tool rather than a medical diagnostic feature, a distinction that matters significantly under US health regulations.
Replacing it is Blood Pressure Trend, a new feature that periodically monitors blood pressure over time, tracks long-term trends, and suggests healthy habit tips. It requires initial calibration with a traditional upper-arm blood pressure cuff and recalibration roughly every 28 days. Samsung confirms it’s debuting with the upcoming Galaxy Watch 9 series.
For users who want their historical Vascular Load data before it disappears go to Samsung Health → More options → Settings → Download personal data. Affected watches include the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025).
Samsung removed a feature without explaining why, replaced it with something arguably more practical, and left international users untouched. Whatever the regulatory reason, the data download option exists, and you should use it before late July.
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