Samsung claims your biometric data stays on your device and is never sent to Samsung. But their health app has permissions to read your heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, body fat, and blood oxygen — and also has permissions to sync this data to the internet continuously in the background. If the data truly stayed on your device, the app wouldn't need internet access combined with health data read permissions and data sync capabilities. Samsung admits in legal language that sharing your data with advertisers may count as 'selling' your personal information. Independent reviewers at Mozilla rated the Galaxy Watch as a privacy nightmare. Samsung was also caught and sued by the Texas Attorney General for secretly tracking what people watch on their Samsung TVs. This pattern of hidden data selling extends across all Samsung devices including the Galaxy Watch, which collects far more intimate data than a TV — your heart rate, sleep patterns, body composition, and location 24/7.
What they claim: Samsung's privacy policy states: 'This biometric data remains on your device and is not transferred to or accessed or obtained by Samsung. Samsung does not share this biometric data with third parties.'
What we found: Samsung Health app (com.sec.android.app.shealth) requests INTERNET, READ_HEART_RATE, READ_BLOOD_PRESSURE, READ_BLOOD_GLUCOSE, READ_BODY_FAT, READ_OXYGEN_SATURATION, READ_SLEEP, WRITE_SYNC_SETTINGS, and FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC permissions — enabling continuous cloud synchronization of all biometric health data. The app also requests FOREGROUND_SERVICE_HEALTH for persistent background collection.
What they claim: Samsung Health app requests 76 permissions including READ_CONTACTS, READ_PHONE_NUMBERS, READ_PHONE_STATE, CAMERA, RECORD_AUDIO, GET_ACCOUNTS, and AUTHENTICATE_ACCOUNTS — none of which are necessary for a health tracking wearable.
What we found: Galaxy Watch 6 hardware includes: optical heart rate sensor (PPG), ECG sensor, BIA body composition sensor, blood oxygen sensor, skin temperature sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and ambient light sensor. The watch's core function is health and fitness monitoring. The companion app's permission scope far exceeds what is needed to read data from these sensors — reading contacts, phone numbers, camera access, and audio recording serve Samsung's broader data collection ecosystem, not health tracking.
What they claim: Galaxy Watch 6 LTE variants (FCC IDs A3LSMR935, A3LSMR945) have independent 4G cellular connectivity, allowing the watch to transmit data directly to Samsung and Google servers even when not connected to a paired phone.
What we found: FCC filing describes device as 'Smart Wearable' certified for 4G LTE cellular bands — does not disclose that the device continuously monitors biometric data and can independently transmit it via cellular without the user's phone being nearby. Mozilla review warns of extensive data collection. The LTE modem means the watch is an independent surveillance device that can phone home 24/7.
What they claim: Samsung Health requests SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (draw over other apps), WRITE_SETTINGS (modify system settings), and KNOX_CCM_KEYSTORE / SAMSUNG_KEYSTORE_PERMISSION (access Samsung's security keystore).
What we found: Samsung faces class-action litigation over alleged unlawful collection of biometric data, with Samsung pushing for arbitration to avoid class proceedings. Galaxy Wearable app (prior to v2.2.68) had improper handling of insufficient permissions allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information (CVE-2024-20890). The combination of deep system access permissions and documented access control failures creates a compounding risk for the highly sensitive biometric data collected by the watch.
What they claim: Mozilla Privacy Not Included review warns: 'if you have a child please don't create a Samsung account for them.' Samsung's children's policy allows collection of 'video, images, geolocation information, health information, calls and messages.'
What we found: Samsung markets the Galaxy Watch as family-friendly with Samsung Kids features. Samsung's general privacy policy states: 'Unless otherwise specified, the Services are designed for a general audience and are not directed to children.' However, the watch collects continuous biometric data (heart rate, sleep, activity) which would apply to any wearer including children, and Samsung's children's data collection scope includes health information and geolocation.
What they claim: Samsung's privacy policy states data sharing with advertisers 'may be considered a sale of personal information' under CCPA, and that Samsung may share 'identifiers and online activity' with 'online advertising services' via 'automated technologies and server-to-server connections.'
What we found: Mozilla Privacy Not Included review rated Galaxy Watch 'Privacy Not Included' with users rating it 'Super Creepy.' Mozilla found Samsung explicitly shares data with 'data brokers' and 'online advertising networks' and may sell 'identifiers' and 'online activity' for 'cross-context behavioral advertising purposes.' Samsung faced a Texas AG settlement (March 2026) over undisclosed tracking via ACR in Smart TVs — establishing a pattern of deploying hidden tracking across its device ecosystem.
What they claim: Samsung's Consumer Health Data Privacy Statement describes collecting health data through 'your devices' and 'Samsung Health' and states: 'Where required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent to collect and use your consumer health data.'
What we found: Samsung Health requests RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED (auto-start on device boot), FOREGROUND_SERVICE (persistent background operation), SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM, WAKE_LOCK, and HIGH_SAMPLING_RATE_SENSORS — enabling continuous health data collection that begins automatically when the phone starts, without requiring user interaction. Combined with QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES (can inventory all installed apps), this enables Samsung to profile the user's complete app ecosystem alongside their health data.
What they claim: Galaxy Watch 6 runs Wear OS 4 (Google) with Samsung One UI Watch 5.0 overlay. Firmware connects to both samsung-health.com, analytics.samsung.com, config.samsungads.com AND firebaselogging-pa.googleapis.com, app-measurement.com (Google analytics endpoints).
What we found: Samsung's privacy policy mentions Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, and Adobe Analytics for tracking but does not clearly disclose that the Galaxy Watch sends data to BOTH Samsung AND Google simultaneously. The FCC filing (A3LSMR930) describes the device as a 'Smart Wearable' without disclosing dual data transmission to two separate corporate entities.
What they claim: Samsung Health requests READ_CARE and FOREGROUND_SERVICE_HEALTH permissions, indicating deep integration with Samsung's health ecosystem. The app also uses OpenTelemetry analytics tracker.
What we found: Samsung's Consumer Health Data Privacy Statement acknowledges collecting 'Any information that we process to associate or identify you with the data described above that we obtain from non-health information (such as proxy, derivative, inferred or emergent data, including algorithms or machine learning).' This means Samsung creates inferred health profiles by combining watch sensor data with other non-health data — going far beyond what users expect from a fitness watch.
What they claim: Samsung's privacy policy states: 'We have put in place physical and technical safeguards to keep your information from being improperly accessed, or disclosed.' Samsung's health data privacy statement claims consumer rights including the right to 'Withdraw' consent to 'cease the collection, use, and sharing of such consumer health data.'
What we found: CVE-2023-21351 (high severity): Wear OS Framework vulnerability allowing local escalation of privilege without user interaction, potentially accessing health sensor data. CVE-2024-20890 (medium): Improper access control in Galaxy Wearable allows local attackers to access sensitive information. Samsung employees also leaked internal data to ChatGPT in April 2023, plus data breaches in 2022 and 2020. The device's always-on sensors (heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature) make the impact of any access control failure particularly severe.