The Galaxy Watch 4’s best new features only work with Samsung Galaxy phones

And they don’t work at all with an iPhone.

What you need to know

• The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 comes with a new 3-in-1 sensor to measure several health statistics.
• Data from this sensor can only be read by the Samsung Health Monitor app on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
• The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic won’t work with iOS devices at all.

Samsung just announced a pair of amazing new watches, but both new Galaxy Watch 4 models have one big downside that’s going to limit their market share a bit: all those fancy new health-tracking features only work when you pair your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. Samsung also confirmed to Android Central that the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic will not work with iOS devices at all. In other words, iPhone owners won’t be able to use the first Wear OS 3 watch.

Samsung Galaxy smartphone users will need the Samsung Health Monitor app installed on their phone to track data from the new 3-in-1 health sensor on the Galaxy Watch 4. More specifically, that includes historic measurement tracking of your blood pressure, blood oxygen level (SpO2), VO2 Max, irregular heartbeats, body composition, and even sleep tracking.

This is certainly a setback for folks looking to take advantage of those great Galaxy Watch 4 deals that Samsung is running. Still, it also shows that Samsung is primarily focused on its existing Galaxy ecosystem for the time being. When questioned, Samsung representatives weren’t able to comment on future plans for expansion beyond the Galaxy ecosystem, meaning there’s still hope if you really want Samsung’s hardware running Wear OS 3.

If your hopes of owning one of Samsung’s latest smartwatches have been dashed, don’t worry: plenty of Wear OS 3 smartwatches are coming very soon. Time will tell if other companies deliver smartwatches with similar health tracking features, but, for now, Samsung is leading the pack for Android-compatible smartwatches.

The health-focused smartwatch

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

With the new Galaxy Watch 4, you get an upgraded Exynos chipset with a faster CPU and RAM, 16GB of storage, a beautiful AMOLED screen with an always-on display, and the latest Wear OS 3 software — giving you access to your favorite Google apps like Maps and Pay. And it’s much more affordable than the Galaxy Watch 3 at launch.

From $250 at Samsung

Take it for a spin

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic has similar internals to the base 4, but with a case size increase of 42mm/46mm, a more stylish stainless steel material, and a physical rotating bezel. Get a classier look with the same Wear OS 3 improvements with this everyday watch, available in Black or Silver.

From $350 at Samsung