January 19, 2026, 12:14 AM EST. Smartwatches are pivoting from activity tracking to health care. Fitbit kicked off a wave of health sensing, selling tens of millions of devices that tracked steps, calories, sleep and heart rate. Apple followed, adding ECG in 2018 and expanding wellness features. Samsung and Google pressed into health after rebranding and acquisitions, with the Pixel Watch offering blood oxygen readings. Apple has nudged deeper into healthcare with sleep apnea notifications and hypertension alerts, even as it says the device is not a medical device. The next frontier is diabetes management; no smartwatch yet measures blood sugar. Noninvasive options include a breath monitor from PreEvnt called Isaac, now in clinical trials. Privacy concerns linger as protections like HIPAA don't fully cover wearables.
