Samsung could soon put some Galaxy Watch features behind a paywall

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch line offers a variety of health and fitness features, and the company is adding even more via the One UI 8 Watch update. Now, Samsung has confirmed that it’s thinking about a subscription offering for these features.

Samsung’s head of digital health, Dr Hon Pak, told CNET that it’s considering a paid Samsung Health subscription that would be similar to Fitbit Premium or Garmin Connect Plus. The company didn’t specify which features would be placed behind a paywall, but the article generally focused on Samsung’s One UI 8 Watch features. Samsung’s upcoming watch software offers capabilities like Vascular Load metrics, Bedtime Guidance for sleep, antioxidant detection, and more.

The outlet also suggested that new Galaxy Watch models would get the features for free while people with older Galaxy Watches would have to pay to receive them.

Samsung’s disclosure also comes almost a year after the company first hinted at the possibility of a Samsung Health subscription. Back at the company’s July 2024 Unpacked event, Samsung noted that “currently available” Samsung Health features won’t require a paid subscription, but cautioned that “different terms may apply” for future features.

This wouldn’t be the only Samsung subscription that could debut in 2025, though. Samsung previously said that its Galaxy AI suite of features would be free until the end of 2025. So don’t be surprised if the company announces a paid AI tier later this year.