The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and its predecessor are among the best Android smartwatches on the market. Along with their excellent performance and features, these wearables track your key health metrics. Compared to the competition, Samsung’s Wear OS 3 smartwatches also feature a BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) sensor that measures your body composition, including body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass.
If you recently acquired your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5 series and want to get the most out of them, we’re here to help. Here’s how to use the smartwatch to measure your body composition.
What metrics does Samsung’s body composition measure?
The BIA sensor on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 measures your skeletal muscle, fat mass, body fat percentage, Body Mass Index (BMI), body water, and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This provides a more holistic overview of your health over BMI. The sensor cannot measure your weight, so you must enter it manually before starting the measurement process.
Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard for measuring body composition. A joint research study from Louisiana State University, Pennington Research Center, and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center showed Samsung’s BIA sensor provides consistent but slightly less accurate measurements than those taken using DXA and lab-grade octapolar bioelectrical impedance measurements. Samsung Galaxy smartwatches are not medical devices. Your measurements may vary based on how you wear your device.
Samsung Galaxy Watch owners can use the data to understand their health better and monitor their key metrics even when they don’t have access to the right medical equipment. Although Samsung’s BIA sensor may be slightly less accurate than measurements taken in a medical facility, it should provide consistent data if you wear your smartwatch correctly.
Ideally, you should measure your body composition early in the morning on an empty stomach before doing any physical activity to get the most accurate readings.
Which Samsung smartwatches can measure your body composition?
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 5 lineup features a BIA sensor that measures your body composition.
This feature is not linked to Samsung’s Galaxy phones. You can use it even if the watch is paired with a non-Samsung phone.
How to measure your body composition using the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 5
Although Samsung’s body composition feature is a great way to monitor your health and fitness data, some people should not use the feature. Before you get started with body composition analysis on your Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5, read and follow Sasmsung’s recommendations.
- Do not use the feature if you have a pacemaker or similar device implanted in your body.
- Pregnant people should not use the feature.
- The readings can be inaccurate for people under the age of 20.
You cannot initiate the process of measuring your body composition using the Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5 from your phone. You must use the smartwatch.
- Swipe up on your Galaxy Watch’s display to open the app drawer.
- Open the Samsung Health app.
- Scroll down and tap the Body composition option.
- Tap Measure to start the measurement process. If you measured your body composition previously, the readings display here.
- The first time you use the feature, select your gender and enter your height and weight.
- A guide instructs you to place your fingers on the watch. Place your middle and ringer fingers on the two physical keys on the watch’s right side.
- Confirm that your fingers are touching the keys and are not in contact with your hands.
- Swipe to the right and tap Ok to start the body composition measurement process.
- Stay still during the measurement process, which takes about 15 seconds. Do not come in contact with any object during this period.
If the measurement process fails, moisturize your fingers and try again.
It is essential to place your Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5 correctly on your wrist for proper measurement. Move the watch higher on your wrist for this. Also, raise your arms so that they are away from your body and not in touch with any part.
You can view the results on your watch or smartphone from the Samsung Health app. Over time, the app displays a graph of how your measurements have changed. You can also set targets and get reminders from Samsung Health about your Body composition metrics.
When viewing your Body composition results in Samsung Health on your phone, tap the three-dot menu button in the upper-right corner followed by Set targets. You can then enter the time, target weight, body fat percentage, and other metrics along with the time you aim to achieve your goal. There’s also an option to set Samsung Health to remind you to check your body composition levels.
What to do if body composition measurement keeps failing on your Galaxy Watch?
In many cases, the body composition measurement could fail on your Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5 at around the 80% mark. This is a common issue, and it is possible that despite repeated tries, your watch cannot take a measurement.
The good news is that this does not point to any underlying issues. There are multiple reasons why the watch fails to take a reading. First, and most importantly, moisturize your hands, arms, and fingers using a good moisturizer. This trick alone should work in most cases, especially if you live in a cold region.
Second, flip the watch so that the sensor is against the inside of your wrist. Also, move the watch further up on your wrist and ensure it fits snugly. You can restart the watch to see if that helps. A hard reset is a last-ditch effort, though the chances of it fixing the body composition measurement are slim.
Get to know your Samsung Galaxy smartwatch
Samsung’s Wear OS 3-based Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 are a step up from its previous Tizen-based offerings. Body composition analysis is one of the many features they pack. Check out our favorite Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 tips and tricks to get the most out of your wearable. You can also control your Android smartphone using your Galaxy Watch.
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