Not many of us have the luxury of living in a quiet environment. While some may take silence for granted, prolonged exposure to loud noises can lead to hearing loss. Noise canceling headphones or earbuds can limit sound exposure to an extent, but tech industry juggernaut Apple took things a step further in 2019 with a built-in Noise app for its Apple Watch models.
It now looks like Samsung is taking inspiration from the iPhone maker for a new “Noise” card within the Samsung Health app, possibly meant for Galaxy Watch models. Looking into version 6.31.2.003 of the Health app, Android Authority has found this new card to help users keep an eye on noise exposure.
As the screenshots above show, the Noise card will greet users with a ‘Today’s average‘ card along with a decibel meter, with noise levels denoted in four colors based on severity (blue, green, yellow, orange). The three-dot menu at the top contains ‘Noise alert history’ and ‘Advanced Measurement.’ There’s also an about page, presumably carrying additional details on noise alerts.
Noise alert history provides a detailed record of alerts received over time, including a specific count. The Advanced Measurement page is where most of the controls are found, allowing you to set a decibel (dB) threshold ranging from 80 dB to 100 dB.
This feature will use the mic on your smartwatch to detect loud noises
More crucially, the Advanced Measurement page confirms that this feature will “use your watch’s microphone to measure levels throughout the day.” What we don’t know is if this feature will be rolled out to existing Galaxy Watch models or remain limited to upcoming hardware.
The third screenshot above shows a ‘Noise level’ graph of alerts received over an extended period, with options to display alerts received over a week, month, or year.
Advanced Measurement will also include a ‘Safe listening limit‘ toggle to alert you whenever the noise threshold is exceeded. This toggle will come in handy if you are routinely exposed to loud noises but don’t want a barrage of notifications. However, for people who don’t work in a loud environment, enabling the Safe listening limit toggle should be the preferred option.
Apple’s Noise app
Given that most of these pages appear to be nearly ready for prime time, we hope Samsung doesn’t wait too long before bringing this feature to Galaxy Watch owners. From this early first look, it looks like this feature will work pretty similarly to the Apple Watch feature (pictured above), though Samsung’s version could be more visually appealing.
Would you be willing to use this feature on your Galaxy Watch?
