SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2 : Disability Issues and Sleep/Heart Monitoring!

[VikingAle]

I've had this SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2 ("GWA2") since 06/01/2020, and it seemed OK, once I had got my head around the many features, and had disabled all those that I did not want.

I am now 60, with lower limb disability issues due to old motorcycle accidents (17 operations) and later added injuries when in UK Forces.

I was kindly given the GWA2 as a 60th Birthday Present to help with monitoring my very poor sleep, and also this years efforts to improve health and fitness via non-impact exercise, such as, initially, Physio, then hopefully later on things like Rowing and floor based exercises with weights, and maybe later this year some swimming and cyling, all in preparation for major surgery to replace a whole knee (yes the entire knee, which is a bigger one than even a Total Knee Reoplacement), probably a hip or two, and maybe an ankle.

I am also looking forward to the ECG feature, but appreciate this will take a few weeks yet whilst various Certifications are sought.

I have also recently discovered that I have serious Sleep Apnoea issues, so bad that it triggered Atrial Flutter one night, and put me into Intensive Care for 10 hours with my heart stuck in a 2:1 Block at 150bpm for 10 hours...which is basically what can happen when you neary suffocate!

All being well, I should get a CPAP (Constant Positive Air Pressure) machine soon, which should cure the sleep issues, and allow me to finally get some decent restorative sleep. Usually I am getting just 1-20 mins of Deep Sleep a night because of this, and the thrashing around I do in bed because of lower limb pain. Total sleep is usually between 1-5 hours if that, so I tend to be a bit tired during the day!

I was using a Polar A360 to mainly keep an eye on sleep, or the lack of it, and to help monitor activity and so on, when I will combine that with a Polar H7 Chest Strap if I can get onto the Rowing Machine (hips/knees allowing).

Anyway, the GWA2 seemed to be OK until this morning, when it suddenly elected to stat Monitoring me having a run, which was curious, because I was just sitting in front of the PC doing some admin!

It did not seem to want to stop, so I just went for a reset via my SAMSUNG Galaxy S10's App linked to the GWA2!

A PITA, as I then had to re-set a lot of features and widgets up all over again.

However, then it did the same again!

This time I was able to stop it, and then disabled the Multi-Workout Running widget, which seems to have calmed the thing down.

The GWA2 is fully patched with the latest updates as of today (10/01/2020), so I am writing this in case others have experienced the same odd behavior. I have it paired to a SAMSUNG Galaxy S10 Mobile (also fully patched).

I will update if it does it again, and will post up any other feedback related to this watch in terms of sleep monitoring issues and a disabled bloke starting to get fitter!

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

There is a new YouTube Video, not sure where the chap is located, but he has the ECG Feature up and running, here it is below:

24/09/2020 Major Samsung Galaxy Watch Update! - ECG Now Available

Nothing similar showing on my S10 or GWA2, so far.

VikingAle

[Alun135]

No its in the USA they recently got the update

I once had a builder who would keep leaving my job to start another project

I only got him to finish by refusing to pay him

Unfortunately Samsung are similar to him they have left the active watch 2 to produce the 3 with bells and whistles

but I cannot threaten to not pay themthey already have my money

What I can do though is not but any more of their products i no longer have any trust in them

Everything I have electronically is Samsung but no more I will look elsewhere in future i simply no longer trust them

[VikingAle]

Hello Alun135!

I must agree that this has certainly soured my previous reliance and confidence in SAMSUNG products. Quite badly so and, like you, a lot of my kit is SAMSUNG. Also now looking elsewhere, instead of defaulting to SAMSUNG.

The way the Galaxy Watch Active 2 has been mishandled is seriously unimpressive.

As mine was a present, I am not in a good position to return it, but might write to SAMSUNG UK and demand that they take it back as not of merchantable quality. It has never been able to measure Heart Rate reliably, and regularly gets stuck at around 100-110 bpm (100% too high in effect), when I have to sit and watch it correct down, or Re-Boot it if it gets stubborn.

This fault is ratting up Sleep Logging, because it's probably under-reporting REM, Light and, crucially, Deep Sleep, if it's miss-reading the Heart Rate Data accurately.

By comparison, the Heart Sensor on my SAMSUNG S10 seems fine, and agrees with Finger Tip O2 Sensors, so that's far more reliable but, obviously, not convenient as one can only check that way at random rather than continually hence why I was given the watch.

I did think that SAMSUNG would forget the Active 2 when the Watch 3 came out, and that seems to be the case.

These things are effectively expensive gimmicks with a shelf-life of 12-18 Months in effect, that being the approximate time when the watch will be supported. I'd not want to place any bets on being able to use this for the 40 years that my Rolex has given me, and continues to give me, sterling service. That will go on for another 40 years, no problem, albeit worn by my son I expect by then!

Anyway, let's see if the ECG Feature gets released soon. If not, I may have no option but to send it back. I have plenty of fault logs to back this up, so SAMSUNG don't have a leg to stand on from a Consumer Protection perspective.

Why go to all of the trouble designing it, and manufacturing it, and then give up on supporting it within just a few weeks of launch?

Let this be a lesson for anyone looking to buy a SAMSUNG Watch.

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

Post failed due to some annoying new double stage Security check so, rather than re-type it all, this is just to say there is a new Software Update for UK Models.

R825FXXU1BT19

R825FOXA1BT19

R825FXXU1BT19

291.41 MB

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

Hello Folks!

Model = SM-R825F (UK Model)

Software = R825FXXU1BT19  R825FOXA1BT19  R825FXXU1BT19

So far, so good.

I'd say the new Software has improved the Heart Rate at Rest bug.

When ever I look at the watch now, my resting pulse looks correct, whereas before yesterday, 9 times out of 10, when I glanced at it the pulse would be around 100% high.

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

Hello Folks!

Model = SM-R825F (UK Model)

New Software = R825FXXU1CUA5

At last, after a very, very long wait, I am delighted to report that the SAMSUNG ECG and Blood Pressure Features have finally arrived this fine Morning!

I have been checking for Updates daily, so I can say it only appeared for me in the UK today (Wednesday 24/02/2021).

The SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2 ("GWA2"), 44mm in my case, was a 60th Birthday present back at the start of 2020, bought specifically because of the apparently imminent arrival of an ECG Feature.

I do like the GWA2 but I have had to persevere with it, mainly because, as a gift, sending it back was not a diplomatic option.

I am glad that I did stick with it.

Initially, the Heart Rate logging was all over the place but, as you may see from the Post above, that was finally fixed, at least in terms of general readings, and also Sleep Logging which is related given that movement and Heart Rate are, I think, two key factors taken into account when Sleep Data is analysed.

I was so pleased to see the GWA2 settle down into something useful, that I bit the bullet and bought another one for my wife, this time the smaller 40mm model, so I am now actually managing two of these watches, not one.

This is mildly interesting, because I get to check for updates twice, and I also manage our two SAMSUNG Mobile Phones, an S10 in my case, and an S20 FE in the case of my wife.

I gather that the SAMSUNG App that deals with the ECG and Blood Pressure Features, only work if you have a suitable SAMSUNG Mobile however, as we both do, I cannot comment, either way, on the Corporate politics of this.

Right, back to the ECG and Blood Pressure Features and the related App.

First thing was the SAMSUNG Galaxy Wearable App on our SAMSUNG Mobiles both offered the New Software for the GWA2 Watches when I ran the usual check in the morning. I think that was around 109MB from memory. This is then Applied to the GWA2 unit(s).

I then updated various Apps for both the Mobiles and Watches, and these were synced with the GWA2 Watches. I'll just talk about my own GWA2, as it was the same for my wife's unit.

When I then checked my GWA2, sure enough, the ECG and Blood Pressure Features were there.

I'll deal with Blood Pressure first, because that requires Calibration with a good Blood Pressure Monitoring Unit. We have an OMRON M7 Intelli IT, which syncs with the OMRON Health App via Bluetooth, so is a handy unit to have.

The ECG and Blood Pressure Features both need a further SAMSUNG App to be added to your SAMSUNG Mobile, in addition to SAMSUNG Health, and this is somewhat confusingly called SAMSUNG Health Monitor, which is not the same as SAMSUNG Health.

To confirm, you need both Apps:

SAMSUNG Health
SAMSUNG Health Monitor (new)

Blood Pressure Feature

This needs to be Calibrated with a full size Blood Pressure Measuring unit, so you need to get one if you don't have one, and also plan when to do this, which basically means that you will need 10 minutes or so of quiet time, not after just having done exercise, not right after having had a bath or at any time following a Curry and 20 beers with your mates!

You need to pick a time when you can and must sit down and relax for 5 minutes, so that the Blood Pressure readings for the Calibration are as accurate and representative as possible.

It's very simple: you just need to take THREE Blood Pressure readings, and enter these details into the SAMSUNG Health Monitor App, as it will instruct you to do.

The Blood Pressure Cuff needs to go on the arm opposite to the one where you wear your GWA2.

After that, your watch can then take its first Blood Pressure reading, and that is automatically logged with the SAMSUNG Health Monitor App, and the same Data also appears in the SAMSUNG Health App.

That's it, and it seems to work, and is accurate enough for Farm Work to get a quick reading straight from your watch.

Thereafter, just make sure any Blood Pressure readings are also done when calm and sat down at a table, otherwise they will be all over the place and won't give you a reliable reading. Same goes for when using any Blood Pressure Machine, so this is just basic common sense.

The above Calibration looks like it needs doing every 28 Days.

ECG Feature

By comparison this is, comparatively, very easy.

Just make sure you are sat down and calm, same as for the above Blood Pressure Feature, and this will run a trace of your heart. The only difference is you need to lightly touch the upper button with one finger from your opposite arm to the one with the watch on, and keep it there whilst the watch carries out the ECG.

That then syncs with the SAMSUNG Health Monitor App on your SAMSUNG Mobile, and the same Data is then also available from within the SAMSUNG Health App as well.

Please be aware that this is not a multi-point ECG as one would have at a Hospital, so it's a very basic ECG but potentially useful enough to quickly check your heart's rhythm if you experience any irregular beats or other signs of flutter, thumps or missed beats.

I can say that our GWA2 watches have been useful when working on various health issues, which in my case was exceptionally severe Sleep Apnoea, ultimately caused by monster pain at night from old lower limb injuries.

I have yet to start exercise, because I had to address life-threatening sleep issues first.

I am please to say I have avoided being presented with a nice new Pine Box, and that little pleasure has now been postponed, hopefully, for a decade or three. Whilst I still have severe Sleep Apnoea in theory (it is still potentially there lurking in the background ready to pounce), I no longer suffer the effects, because I have managed this via careful analysis and getting to understand the issues and equipment needed to take charge of this.

The GWA2 has been handy to monitor sleep issues, to see the gradually increasing actual sleep (from 1-2 hours a night, now up between 4 and 8 hours), and the matching increase to Deep Sleep (from absolutely none, to over an hour some nights) as the problem was being fixed.

Within a few weeks, I should be moving on to the next phase of the recovery, and that is to start exercise, when the GWA2 will then get to play another role in helping me to monitor progress as I rebuild my fitness.

Ultimately, I may then be in a position to re-consider major Surgery, which all had to be postponed because Sleep Apnoea crept up on me, and then the Bat Flu Plandemic pitched in to cancel all Surgery options for the foreseeable future.

At least I have managed to use this World Reset Down Time, to hack a serious issue, so my time has not been entirely wasted. If I will get to enjoy any freedom when we are finally allowed out, is another issue.

Finally, do not, I repeat, do not, ever underestimate the seriousness of Sleep Apnoea. This is the root cause of many fatal issues, that are themselves caused by Sleep Apnoea, even when Sleep Apnoea does not actually cause death. It is, however, the core mechanism that leads to other issues causing death, but few medics look back to see if it is there lurking in the background.

In a nutshell, Sleep Apnoea causes many issues such as High Blood Pressure, Cardiac Arrhythmia which can all lead to Stroke and/or Heart Failure/Attack. Address the night time suffocation, and many knock-on issues can be avoided, or can be dramatically improved.

If you snore loudly, or your family notice that your breathing stops at night, or that you make odd noises when asleep when catching your breath, then get this checked. One way to start is to buy a good Sleep Oximeter Logging device, one that logs your night time Oxygen Levels and, absolutely crucially, your Heart Rate.

If you have Sleep Apnoea, then you will see a clear link between Oxygen Drops and Cardiac agitation. At its worst, your heart will be kept flat out and agitated all night trying to cope, and that is what messes your body right up, big time. You wake exhausted, some with high Blood Pressure and, at worst, some do not wake up at all, having suffered a Blood Clot caused by a miss-beating heart, caused by oxygen deprivation, caused by Sleep Apnoea.

You get the picture now?

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

Hello Folks!

There seems to be a new Software Update today, now as follows:

Model = SM-R825F (UK Model)

New Software = R825FXXU1CUD1 (the last was R825FXXU1CUA5)

I saw something about improved Security, but neglected to check the link for more details.

I can say that, prior to this, both my 44mm unit, and my wife's 40mm unit, were doing pretty well. Handy to have the Blood Pressure and ECG working and, as I anticipated some time ago, that functionality seems to have brought with it far more reliable Logging of things like Sleep and resting Heart Rate.

The watch is greatly improved since I was originally kindly given it as a present, and I am happy to recommend it now.

Our daughter now has the SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 3 40mm, and that too seems to be reliable, also with Blood Pressure and ECG working (out of the box, rather than having to wait for these features).

Not sure yet what else is new with the latest Software, but will update if anything crops up that is of interest.

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

I note that the SAMSUNG Health App now has a new feature for Sleep, namely:

Blood oxygen during sleep

However, all we are getting is a flag that says:

"No blood oxygen data"

I assume this must be because the Blood Oxygen Saturation Sensor of the SAMSUNG GALAXY Active 2 has yet to be activated?

It has one, apparently, but it has been lying dormant and not enabled, same as the ECG and Blood Pressure features, that only came to life some time after the watches were released.

This link shows that the Red LED is there:

https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyWatch/comments/ii8ccy/active2_has_red_light_spo2_capable/

I cannot find the link now, but there is a code that can be dialled on the watch, that will light up the Red LED, so it does have one.

Hopefully a new Update will add SpO2 and allow night time Blood Oxygen tracking as well as Sleep.

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

No sign of any update to add the Red LED to measure Blood Oxygen Saturation, which is a shame, as the watch does have that Sensor, it's just not enabled, yet.

As I mentioned in another Thread, since the start of 2022, I have had major problems with Atrial Fibrillation, and just wanted to say how useful the ECG Feature has been.

The watch was given to me as a present for just that feature and, when I really needed it this year, it was excellent, and continues to be my go to device to check on heart rate and rhythm.

It is well worth getting to know the ECG Feature, especially for anyone who has any issues with their heart's rate or rhythm.

Optical Sensors just measure a snap shot, so can be miles out if your rhythm is irregular.

The ECG is electrical, and measures for 30 seconds, so is highly accurate, and also shows you the wave form that can tell you a great deal, even allowing for the fact it can be a little rough given it's not based on stick-on ECG Leads.

Having your own little ECG available, when needed, is a powerful feature to have.

It is effectively the same waveform as ECG Lead I, so the wrist to wrist circuit.

This gives you an accurate heart rate count, based on 30 seconds of measurement, and counts the QRS Complex over that time (the main beats in effect). The Report gives you a standard ECG Print with 10 seconds per line, so you can count QRS yourself if you wish, each line being 10 seconds, just count the QRS and multiply by 6, or count all three lines and multiply by 2 (30s x2 is a minute).

When I am in Sinus Rhythm, I can see my rate and rhythm are fine, with the P Wave and T Waves in sync, and with a well shaped QRS. Beyond that, it mainly tells me when I am in Atrial Fibrillation, because I can see the QRS are not regular, and the P and T Waves are lost in the clutter in between. But it does tell me what I need to know.

Although I am waiting for the UK NHS to get its act together and invite me in to see a cardiologist, whilst I have been waiting, I have read a lot about ECGs and heart issues, so am pretty confident that I have some Atrial based irregularity, and none of the obvious and more severe arrhythmias.

I get the odd missed beat, or skipped beat, but can now see these look like ectopic beats and almost certainly Premature Atrial Contractions, because I can see from the watch ECG that a P wave is firing prematurely, merging with the preceding T Wave, and then my hearts SA Node is delaying the next beat to compensate, which would not happen if it were happening lower in the Ventricles. Good to know, and means I am reasonably well informed before I finally get to see a quack.

I am fairly sure I have Vagal Atrial Fibrillation, so some gastric link, as it always starts after a trigger at meal times. Plus I may have a Thyroid imbalance that has just gone out, which may be what is keeping me in AFib when it happens.

Vagal AFib does not benefit from Beta Blockers, which I worked out as they were useless, and did more harm than good. I weaned myself off that, and many issues improved the moment that was out of my system.

Basically, the ECG Feature was the feature the watch was bought for, and it has been well worth it, especially when I needed it.

VikingAle

[VikingAle]

Quick Update:

I needed the ECG Feature for the first 3.5 Months of 2022, and I am pleased to say the SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2 was brilliant. I had to carry out many ECGs a day for most of that time, and it helped me to monitor a big Atrial Fibrillation problem (I found out the cause, and fixed myself).

However, sadly, the ECG Feature stopped working from around 18th May 2022, and now I have been unable to carry out an ECG ever since. It either cannot start one, giving me messages to wear the watch for 10 minutes and try again, to moistening my skin etc. None of which have any effect.

It sometimes starts an ECG, but the waveform is either a flat line, and gives up, or it is wildly all over the place, and then gives up.

My wife's 40mm bought late 2021 also did the wild readings from day one, but can still do an ECG I think. She seldom needs to do one.

But mine gave up.

Then it started to lose contact with my SAMSUNG S10 Mobile, and that kept getting worse.

Then a few minutes ago, when I put it on, SAMSUNG Pay came up, which I never use, but it was unresponsive.

I tried re-booting, but it just went blank, and has now been dead ever since. I have tried holding the lower button in for over 30 seconds, but it is dead!

Battery was fine at around 96%, so it's not a flat battery.

Placing it on Charge also does nothing.

Just tried holding both buttons for over 30 seconds, and no joy.

Looks like it has died!

That's not good. Something that costly should last for more than 2 years and 5 months, although I see the Warranty of 2 years.

I will have to have a word with SAMSUNG UK, and see what they say. Under the Sale of Goods Act, I somehow doubt they can wash their hands of it in that time. Anyone would reasonably expect it to last at least, say, 5 years.

I'll update if I find a way to reset it. But it looks kaput!

VikingAle