Dear Samsung Galaxy Watch and Samsung Health Development Team,
I am writing as a dedicated user and owner of the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra. I am very satisfied with the hardware, but a critical software limitation in the native fitness app makes the watch unusable for accurate serious training.
The Problem
The Samsung Health app on the Galaxy Watch Ultra currently does not allow users to select an external Bluetooth Heart Rate (HR) strap (such as the Polar H10+) as the primary data source when starting a workout directly from the watch. Even when the strap is successfully paired with the watch, the native Samsung Health app ignores the external sensor and defaults to the inaccurate wrist-based optical sensor.
Why This is Critical
The wrist-based optical sensor is known to be highly inaccurate and laggy during:
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Weightlifting/Strength Training
- Running speed changes and intervals
- Row erg concept 2 training
This inaccuracy invalidates the advanced training features like the Running Coach and makes the resulting data unreliable for serious athletes.
The Urgency and Competition
This is no longer an optional feature; it is a basic function natively supported by your direct competitors, including Apple Watch, Garmin, and all serious running/cycling computers.
For a premium device priced at $750+ (Galaxy Watch Ultra), it is unacceptable to force users to rely on paid third-party apps (like SportWerks) just to achieve accurate heart rate data during a workout run solely on the watch.
Feature Request
I kindly request that Samsung immediately implements a simple feature in the Samsung Health app for Wear OS:
- A setting to enable/prioritize external Bluetooth HR sensors when a workout is initiated on the watch.
- The ability for the native app to override the watch's optical sensor with data from a connected chest strap (e.g., Polar H10+) during exercise.
Please address this major usability gap to fully unlock the potential of the Galaxy Watch Ultra for serious fitness tracking.
Thank you for your attention to this critical feature request.
