In a workout mode, the VO2 Max feature is essential to measure your overall oxygen intake score. With the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung has brought this feature to new Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 5, and Watch 5 Pro wearables, and with the fourth-gen watch, it has become more accurate. The same goes for fall detection – another vital feature for users. In the recent firmware, the company has made sure to detect hard falls by providing a sensitivity option. Some users use both options often, but some find it necessary, like outdoor activities or trekkers and adventure.
The VO2 Max feature shows how much oxygen you have gained during the exercise. The fall detection function is helpful in your adventure, hill climbing, cycling, trekking, or other outdoor activities. It will send messages or calls when the wearable detects hard falls. I will explain both features in the article.
In the Samsung product description, you may have heard of both functions, but are not sure where to find them. They are hard to find because not all users activate them continuously. It is the reason, you have to manually enable the fall detection option, and VO2 Max is a score that will be visible inside the activities. This guide will provide you with how to enable them and how to use them.
What is Fall Detection & how does it works?
Since Apple Watch Series 4, you may have heard many life-saving stories about this function. Many Apple Watch users have shared how the fall detection feature has saved their lives. The feature is now part of Samsung watches. The fall detection function uses a sensor to detect any surface fall.
It will then automatically sends messages or calls to assistance from your SOS numbers if users are not responding within 60 seconds. When it detects a hard fall, then it will vibrate, pop up, or sound the watch for 60 seconds.
It is a life-saving feature for most users who go on a trip to remote areas. With the GPS signal and emergency contacts, it becomes easy for your beloved ones to find out your exact location and what happened to you. The Watch Series 7 has added this function to the Cycling activity that missing on Galaxy Watch 4 & Galaxy Watch 5.
Activate Fall Detection
To activate the function on your new smartwatch, go through these steps
1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app
The first app on your way is Galaxy Wearable. It is a pairing app for your watch, so open it.
2. Go to Watch Settings
Now to open Watch Settings, you have two options. You can go to Settings on your smartphone via the Galaxy Wearable app, or you can go through Settings on the watch itself.
3. Choose Advanced features
In the plenty of settings, you will find Advanced features below Display options. It has been named because it has included some essential functions that need advanced technology like sensors and gestures.
4. SOS
Without any additional information, there is an option SOS in Advanced features. It is the feature that sends emergency calls or alerts. It has two options – When a Home key is pressed three times & When a hard fall is detected. The first option is for quick calls to your close one when you manually press the home button three times. And the second one is automatic and sends alerts if something happens to you.
5. Choose the second option
The option ‘When hard fall detected’ is what you are looking for. Enable the toggle button & agree to the terms.
6. Add emergency contacts
In the next step (Only on the Phone), you have to add emergency contacts to who you want to reach first in the critical time. Select the numbers of your family member, close friends, or personal doctors. You can also create new contacts to add to the list like the nearest police station or ambulance etc. You can add up to four numbers to the list.
7. Make SOS call to
Finally, in the given number, you can choose one number to whom the automatic call will generate. The other saved numbers will receive messages.
8. High Sensitivity option
It has been added in the previous DUJA firmware update. The high sensitivity is a good option to get an advanced feature to detect more falls. Even though it will give more fall reports, it could mistakenly count other activities as falls, specifically sports. Still, you can activate this option for better results.
What is VO2 Max score?
The VO2 max is a score to check how much oxygen you have earned during a workout or exercise. It measures millimeters of oxygen per kilogram. The higher number is better. It is helpful to build better health & endurance. On Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5, the VO2 Max feature has been added to the running exercise.
Activate VO2 Max
1. Open the Samsung Health app
The app is pre-installed on the Galaxy Watch series & also on Samsung Galaxy phones. If you are a non-Samsung user, then you can download it from Play Store or Galaxy Store. Open the app to find out its list of functions.
2. Go to Exercise
After the Steps feature, there is an option for all Exercises. It includes all the sports modes that support your Samsung smartwatch or smart tracker. Open the Exercise option, to see all the lists.
3. Tap on Running
In the history of all exercises, you can see the history of your running exercise. It will show all the steps, pace, GPS positioning, heart rate zone, running metrics, and of course VO2 Max results.
4. See VO2 Max score
When you start running on a flat surface, then automatically it will collect your VO2 Max score. If you are not performing on a flat surface with a good GPS signal, then it will not collect oxygen intake. It will divide your score based on your age. Fore the age between 30 to 39, a score below 34 is very poor, and a score above 59.8 is superior.
Hope you are clear with these two essential functions on the Galaxy Watch 4 & Watch 5. In the future, we may see more exercises that will show the VO2 Max score, and fall detection will become more accurate. Have you used these functions, then tell us your experiences.
