If sleep apnea screening is one reason you're shopping for a Galaxy Watch, the Watch9 is now the one to get in the US. Samsung switched on its updated Sleep Apnea feature there on November 3, for the Galaxy Watch9 and the Galaxy Ring. Samsung says the Watch7 and Watch8 will get it in later software updates, and it hasn't given a date.
What the Watch9 gets
The updated feature requires Wear OS 7.0 or later on the Watch9 and a compatible Galaxy phone. It estimates breathing disruptions per hour as well as providing a risk result. FDA cleared version 2.0 on July 20, 2026 for adults 18 and older without a previous sleep-apnea diagnosis. It requires two valid nights within 10 days.
What a Watch8 keeps for now
Samsung's US page for Health Monitor still describes the first version. That one works on the Galaxy Watch4 and later, for adults 22 and older, and only says whether it found signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. So a Watch8 owner keeps the yes-or-no check until the update arrives.
The original version’s US labeling starts at age 22. An owner aged 18 to 21 should not assume that a Watch8 becomes eligible until Samsung makes the updated version available for that model.
The phone still decides
Both versions need a compatible Galaxy phone next to the watch. Pair a Galaxy Watch9 with a Pixel or a OnePlus and the check won't run, whichever version the watch has. If your phone isn't a Galaxy, this feature shouldn't be part of the reason you pick a Samsung watch.
Our take
The Watch9 has the updated US feature now, while the Watch8 update has no announced date. That is useful if you are buying a compatible watch anyway. We would not replace a working Watch8 just to get the per-hour estimate. These are screening features, and a result cannot replace a clinician’s diagnosis or treatment. A negative result should not delay care for symptoms.
