What you need to know
- US Garmin Venu 2 Plus owners will receive a new ECG app with the January 24th update.
- The first Garmin watch to track heart rhythm and detect atrial fibrillation.
- Garmin also plans to release the app in more watches and more regions “in line with required regulatory approvals.”
Garmin leads the pack when it comes to useful fitness data, but it’s not always at the forefront of health tracking. On Tuesday, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus took another step toward catching up to rival brands by launching an ECG app.
Venu 2 Plus owners should be able to access the app after updating their Garmin watch to the latest version. Then press and hold the watch’s metal bezel for 30 seconds to create an ECG report. This report can be set to automatically export to the Garmin Connect app. The app saves your ECG history and exports reports so you can share relevant data with your doctor if it appears.
“In the early stages of atrial fibrillation, symptoms are typically rare and difficult to detect in the clinical setting. The new ECG app allows Venu 2 Plus customers to conveniently record an ECG at any time. increase.”
Our top pick for the best fitness smartwatches — even before this ECG news — Venu 2 Plus stands out from other Garmin watches with its gorgeous bright AMOLED display, 9-day battery life, and built-in mic and speaker for Bluetooth calls is drawing and a voice assistant.
Garmin plans to bring AFib detection to other Garmin watches after receiving regulatory approval, but didn’t say which watches would receive it when asked. However, his Garmin Venu 2 with a similar stainless steel bezel seems like a safe bet.
While other watches with ECG detection like the Fitbit Sense 2 rely on multiple finger contact points along the metal bezel, the Apple Watch relies on a single home button. A premium Garmin watch like the metal-edged Fenix 7 is most likely to receive it at some point, but for an all-plastic watch with a metal start button like the Garmin Forerunner 955, It’s not very clear.
It is also important to note that this AFib detection relies only on active ECG data, not passive heart rate data.American Heart Journal (opens in new tab) A study conducted in Taiwan used the Forerunner 945 and another ECG machine to confirm the sensitivity and accuracy of the watch’s PPG for patients with known AFib problems. It was over 90% accurate.
Apple, Fitbit, and other watches have FDA approval for passive AFib detection that doesn’t require an EKG reading. So you can expect to get the most accurate data with more Garmin watches over time, especially the latest Elevate v4 HRM. However, Garmin has not commented on whether it will offer passive AFib.
The final excitement associated with this news: at the beginning of January, the5krunner (opens in new tab) Several questionable features of Garmin software have been leaked, including ECG with AFib detection, an upgrade to PacePro that allows you to increase or decrease your target intensity while running, and new Forerunner models with upgraded AMOLED displays. Therefore, we can expect more improvements and better running watches with accurate ECG prediction.
One of our favorite fitness devices, the Venu 2 Plus adds an ECG app to its accurate HRM and SpO2 sensors for a solid check on your fitness. It tracks your Garmin Body Battery, fitness age, sleep/stress tracking, and also offers unusual tools like animated exercises and music storage.
