Samsung has confirmed that the Vascular Load feature will be removed from Galaxy Watches in the United States starting late July 2026, as part of the upcoming One UI 9 Watch update. The move came to light through an official notice within the Samsung Health app, which also revealed the arrival of a new Blood Pressure Trend capability once the software lands. While the company has not yet issued a broader public statement, the in-app notification leaves little room for ambiguity: existing Vascular Load data will remain viewable in the app until the removal date, after which the feature will vanish from both the wearable and the companion health platform.

Vascular Load first appeared on Samsung wearables several years ago, offering users a composite metric designed to estimate the strain on their cardiovascular system. Using data from the watch's optical heart rate sensor and, in some regions, paired blood pressure readings, it calculated a daily numeric score and tracked long-term trends. Samsung positioned it as a proactive wellness tool—similar in spirit to Garmin's Body Battery or Fitbit's Stress Management Score—though it never received formal medical clearance in the U.S. That regulatory gap now appears to be the central reason for its withdrawal.

What Is Vascular Load and Why Is It Being Removed?

Vascular Load, or VL, combined multiple physiological signals to produce a single index reflecting how hard the heart and blood vessels were working. It drew on heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity data from the watch's PPG sensor, and—where available—cuff-based blood pressure measurements to estimate vascular resistance. Samsung's algorithm then mapped these inputs onto a scale of 1 to 100, with higher values indicating greater cardiovascular stress. The feature required constant background monitoring and was particularly sensitive to movement artifacts, often demanding perfectly still wrists for a clean reading.

The official Samsung Health notice states the removal applies only to Galaxy Watches in the United States, effective in late July 2026. Users in other countries will retain access. This regional restriction strongly suggests a regulatory motive rather than a technical limitation. Samsung likely faced hurdles with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has been tightening scrutiny of consumer health metrics that edge close to diagnostic territory. Vascular Load's reliance on blood pressure data—even when sourced from a calibrated cuff—may have triggered a requirement for a separate 510(k) clearance, something Samsung appears unwilling or unable to pursue for this particular feature. The company has not publicly elaborated, but its history with blood pressure monitoring in the U.S. offers clues.

Samsung has offered blood pressure monitoring on Galaxy Watches since the Galaxy Watch Active 2 in 2019, but the feature never received FDA clearance. In the U.S., it remains locked unless users install modified software or resort to workarounds. Vascular Load, by pulling in blood pressure trend data, likely fell into a gray zone the FDA was no longer willing to overlook. Removing it now avoids potential compliance action while Samsung refocuses its health suite on features with clearer regulatory pathways.

Enter Blood Pressure Trend: A New Direction for Wrist-Based Insights

In place of Vascular Load, Samsung will introduce Blood Pressure Trend, a new tool that shifts the emphasis from real-time spikes to long-term patterns. According to the Samsung Health notice, the feature is part of One UI 9 Watch and will leverage data accumulated over weeks or months to surface upward or downward trends. The key distinction: it avoids displaying absolute blood pressure values unless a user first calibrates the watch with a cuff and the feature is certified in that region. In the U.S., Samsung plans to present exclusively a trend line and relative change indicators—no specific systolic or diastolic numbers.

This approach mirrors strategies adopted by Fitbit and Apple, which have begun offering "Stress Management" or "Afib History"-type features that inform without diagnosing. By stripping away numerical readings, Blood Pressure Trend could sidestep FDA premarket notification requirements, which demand rigorous clinical validation for any device that measures or displays blood pressure. Samsung's pitch is that users will still get actionable insights—if your trend starts creeping up over a month, you might be prompted to see a doctor—without the watch pretending to be a medical instrument.

Behind the scenes, the technology relies on the Galaxy Watch's existing PPG and internal temperature sensors, combined with machine learning models trained on large datasets of cuff-calibrated readings. During calibration, the watch learns the relationship between your pulse waveform and actual blood pressure; subsequent trend analysis tracks how that pulse waveform drifts relative to the baseline. It is a technique known as pulse transit time (PTT)-based estimation, and Samsung has been refining it for years. The One UI 9 Watch implementation will reportedly integrate the readings seamlessly into Samsung Health's revamped cardiovascular dashboard, alongside ECG and heart rate data.

One UI 9 Watch and Wear OS 7: A Larger Refresh

Blood Pressure Trend and the removal of Vascular Load are not the only changes arriving with One UI 9 Watch. The update marks a major platform leap, moving Galaxy Watches onto Google's Wear OS 7, the next-generation operating system that promises faster performance, deeper AI integration, and a host of new health sensors support. Samsung and Google have been co-developing Wear OS since 2021, and each major version has brought tighter synergy with Android phones and, increasingly, Windows PCs through Phone Link.

For Windows enthusiasts, the One UI 9 Watch update could enhance the cross-device experience. Samsung has been steadily improving its Phone Link integration, letting users respond to notifications, control media playback, and even mirror watch screens on their Windows desktops. With Wear OS 7, these features are expected to become more reliable and feature-rich, potentially allowing Windows users to view health data stored in Samsung Health directly on their PC. While Samsung Health does not yet have a native Windows app, the web dashboard could receive an upgrade, making it easier to analyze Blood Pressure Trends and other metrics on a larger screen.

Other expected highlights of One UI 9 Watch include:

  • Redesigned tiles and complications, with a stronger emphasis on glanceable health data.
  • Advanced sleep apnea detection, building on the FDA-cleared feature introduced in late 2024.
  • Expanded irregular heart rhythm notifications, now covering more arrhythmia types.
  • A new "Energy Score" that pulls from multiple sensors to deliver a daily readiness metric, similar to Oura's Readiness or Garmin's Body Battery.
  • Longer battery life thanks to more efficient background processing in Wear OS 7.

Samsung has not announced an exact release date for One UI 9 Watch beyond the "late July 2026" window mentioned in the Vascular Load notice. However, the timing aligns with the Galaxy Watch 9 series launch, expected at Samsung's summer Unpacked event. Current-generation watches, including the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra, will receive the update as an over-the-air download.

Impact on Users and the Competitive Landscape

The removal of Vascular Load will disappoint a segment of power users who have come to rely on the metric as part of their daily health check. On Samsung's community forums, early reactions have been mixed. Some users have expressed frustration that Samsung is taking away a feature they paid for, while others note that Vascular Load readings were often inconsistent and difficult to interpret without medical training. "It was a gimmick more than a tool," one user wrote in a Samsung Health beta feedback thread. "I'd rather have a reliable trend feature than a number that swings wildly day to day."

This sentiment captures a broader industry shift. Wearable makers are increasingly moving away from single-point metrics and toward longitudinal analysis. Apple's Vitals app, introduced with watchOS 11, compiles overnight heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature into a daily baseline, alerting users only when multiple metrics deviate simultaneously. Google's Fitbit has been pushing its Daily Readiness Score. Samsung's Blood Pressure Trend fits squarely into this pattern, emphasizing patterns over isolated data points.

Competitively, the move brings Samsung closer to the Apple Watch in health philosophy while retaining an edge in blood pressure awareness—if not measurement. Apple has yet to add any form of blood pressure monitoring to its watches, despite persistent rumors and a patent portfolio suggesting eventual capability. If Samsung can deliver a Blood Pressure Trend that resonates with consumers and passes regulatory muster, it could position the Galaxy Watch as the more informed health companion, even if it cannot yet replace a cuff.

Expert Analysis: A Regulatory Dance

Health tech analysts see the Vascular Load removal as a pragmatic retreat. "Samsung is cleaning house ahead of broader FDA engagement," says Laura Kammermann, a wearable health consultant who has followed Samsung's regulatory journey. "They're likely preparing a submission for blood pressure monitoring, and if Vascular Load muddies the waters, they'll cut it. Better to have a clean, defensible feature set than a me-too metric that invites scrutiny."

Companies are adopting a "two-tier" approach: a medically certified feature (like ECG, which Samsung has FDA-cleared) alongside wellness features that stay firmly in the general wellness category. Blood Pressure Trend, by avoiding absolute values, falls into the latter. It remains to be seen whether the FDA will agree, but the agency's recent guidance on general wellness devices has been relatively permissive as long as claims are not clinical.

What Users Should Do Now

If you own a Galaxy Watch and actively use Vascular Load, it is important to export your historical data before July 2026. Samsung Health allows you to download all your health metrics as PDF or CSV files. Navigate to Settings > Export Personal Data and select the date range. Save the files to a secure cloud storage service or your PC for long-term reference. Once the feature is removed, historical records will remain accessible in the app only until the cutoff; after that, they will be deleted.

For those curious about Blood Pressure Trend, you will need to have a cuff-based blood pressure monitor handy for the initial calibration. Samsung recommends using an automated upper-arm cuff that has been clinically validated. The calibration process synchronizes the watch's optical sensor with the cuff's readings, and Samsung suggests recalibrating every 30 days for optimal accuracy.

It is also wise to join the Samsung Health beta program to provide feedback on the new feature during testing. Beta testers often receive early access and can influence final feature tuning. Visit the Samsung Members app on your phone to sign up.

Looking Ahead

The Vascular Load removal is a clear signal that Samsung is taking a more disciplined approach to health features in the U.S. market. By trimming a feature that caused regulatory friction and replacing it with a tool that emphasizes long-term trends, the company is aligning its wearable platform with both user expectations and evolving FDA guidelines. The One UI 9 Watch update, powered by Wear OS 7, will bring much more than this single change—it represents a comprehensive overhaul that cements the Galaxy Watch's place as a leading health companion.

For Windows users, the growing integration between Samsung wearables and Microsoft's ecosystem is a quiet but significant development. As Phone Link improves and Samsung Health data becomes more accessible on PCs, the Galaxy Watch could become a central hub in a connected, multi-device lifestyle. The late July 2026 deadline gives users plenty of time to adjust, export their Vascular Load data, and prepare for the new Blood Pressure Trend. Change is coming to the wrist—and this time, it is regulatory-driven, user-focused, and platform-wide.