Samsung Galaxy Watch users are getting a great free health upgrade

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is widely rumoured to launch at the Samsung event next month. Rumours about the device have been mixed so far, with the slated chipset looking like it will only bring a minor upgrade.

Fortunately, the new stuff isn't only reserved for the new models. Users of older Samsung watches – the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, for example – are about to get a new feature which could even save your life.

Today, the Korean company announced that they would bring the feature to the range. That will notify users if they experience an irregular heart rhythm, to alert users and give them ample opportunity to contact a medical professional.

The feature works alongside the ECG functionality to detect atrial fibrillation. That should allow users to gain more in-depth insight into their health, and offer them the opportunity to capitalise on that accordingly.

As ever, it's important to reiterate that this isn't designed as a substitute for medical advice from a trained professional. While these features are useful, they're designed to give you information, which you can then bring up with a doctor or nurse at a later time.

The functionality is coming to 13 markets across the world. That includes Argentina, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Panama, UAE, Korea and the USA. Notably absent, though, is the UK. It's unclear why they aren't on the list, though Samsung mention regulatory testing in other markets, so that may be an indicator.

That's likely to be something of a sore point for users in the UK. Hopefully that's something which can change in the future.

Regardless, it's a brilliant upgrade for those who can get it. Health tracking is what makes the best smartwatches worthy of their price tag, and this makes Samsung's offering a lot more robust.

Similar functionality can already be found on competitive devices. The Apple Watch Series 8, for example, can track the same irregular rhythms. This update brings the Galaxy Watch onto the same playing field. That's great news for Android phone lovers, who can finally experience that technology on their own ecosystem.