Garmin Rolls Out ECG App for Venu 2 Plus Smartwatch

Garmin’s new ECG App lets Venu 2 Plus smartwatch owners wear their heart on their wrist.

The wearable maker’s ECG App lets users record their heart rhythm and check for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib)—an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to serious health problems. The app relies on built-in smartwatch sensors to record electrical signals controlling how the wearer’s heart beats, then analyzes the 30-second recording to detect signs of AFib.

(Credit: Garmin)

“During the early stages of AFib, it’s common for symptoms to be infrequent, making it difficult to detect in a clinical setting,” Dan Bartel, Garmin VP of global consumer sales, said in a statement. “With the new ECG App, Venu 2 Plus customers can conveniently take an ECG recording anytime.”

Users are encouraged to sync their results with the Garmin Connect mobile platform, where they can view a history of their ECG results and create a report to share with a health care provider.

The ECG App is currently available only to customers in the US, and requires the latest version of the Garmin Connect app. The company says it intends to expand its portfolio of compatible products, without elaborating.

In our Venu 2 review, we noted that the attractive smartwatch offers a large collection of advanced health and fitness features, plus useful lifestyle tools including mobile payments, onboard music storage, and Bluetooth headphone support. The Venu 2 Plus, unveiled last year, adds the ability to take calls and use a smartphone’s voice assistant.

Garmin is not the first wearable maker to introduce a mobile electrocardiogram app, meanwhile. Apple rolled out its version for the Apple Watch in 2018. Google’s Fitbit has an ECG app, too.