Samsung discontinues Vascular Load feature on Galaxy Watches in US, but here's the alternative

Feature removal: confirmed scope is US Galaxy Watch users

Vascular Load was introduced last year as an experimental Galaxy Watch feature for tracking vascular stress. The available reporting says the removal is limited to the US. Samsung has not provided a clear public reason in the cited material.

The timing matters for current Watch owners because the change is tied to software, not a new hardware purchase. Once One UI Watch 9 and Samsung Health 7.0 arrive, Vascular Load is expected to disappear in the US. Users relying on that metric should treat it as a sunsetted data stream, not a stable long-term feature.

The data point to watch is simple: update behavior. If Vascular Load is part of your current Samsung Health routine, check the Samsung Health app and watch software notes before installing the late-July update. There is no confirmed rollback path in the available reporting.

Replacement metric: Blood Pressure Trend is not a like-for-like swap

Samsung says it will introduce Blood Pressure Trend instead of Vascular Load. The new feature requires a blood pressure cuff to set up the watch before trend tracking begins. That makes the workflow materially different from a passive watch-only metric.

Android Authority also notes that Samsung brought blood pressure tracking to Galaxy Watches in the US earlier this year. That feature requires use of a blood pressure cuff every 28 days to maintain accuracy. The new Blood Pressure Trend feature is described as providing a longer-term picture, but the reporting does not confirm exact device support beyond Samsung saying it will be available on its upcoming Galaxy Watch.

For buyers, this changes the checklist. If you want a Galaxy Watch for cardiovascular trend data, budget for the cuff requirement and the calibration routine. If you wanted Vascular Load specifically because it was a watch-based experimental metric, the replacement is a different operating model.

Practical verdict for current owners and buyers

Current US Galaxy Watch owners should export or review any Vascular Load history they care about before the late-July software change. The reporting does not state whether historical data will remain visible after removal, so the conservative assumption is to verify before updating.

Prospective buyers should not purchase a Galaxy Watch in the US on the assumption that Vascular Load will remain available. The confirmed direction is removal and substitution with Blood Pressure Trend. That substitute may be useful for users already willing to use a cuff, but it adds setup friction and recurring maintenance.

Buy if Samsung’s broader watch platform and cuff-based blood pressure trend tracking fit your workflow. Skip if Vascular Load was the feature driving the purchase.