The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a hidden baby monitor feature

By David Nield March 29, 2014

samsung galaxy s5 hidden baby monitor feature — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re still on the fence about picking up a brand new Samsung Galaxy S5 this April, a new discovery might sway you one way or the other — thanks to some digging by tech blog SoyaCincau, we now know that the phone has a “baby crying detector” built into its software. The feature picks up the cries of your newborn and sends out an alert, but it only works when paired with a Samsung Gear smartwatch.

This is the first we’ve heard about the baby watching capabilities of the phone, so details of the feature are scarce — according to screenshots posted by SoyaCincau, “this function is intended to be used as a parenting aid and not as a medical device or a substitute for human care-giving.” The help screen goes on to warn parents against leaving children unattended.

The baby crying detector option is available on the device’s accessibility menu, so it’s not really “hidden” — just a little difficult to find, and so far not explicitly mentioned by Samsung in its promotional campaign. The S5 also features a fingerprint reader, a heart-rate monitor and a bunch of other goodies that you can read about in our comprehensive rundown.

The fact that the feature reportedly needs a Samsung smartwatch to work properly takes the shine off it somewhat, but it’s nevertheless an interesting footnote to the device’s specs list. Is baby monitoring high on your list of desired smartphone functions? Or have you already decided to opt for the new HTC One instead? Let us know in the comments.

[Image courtesy of Glayan / Shutterstock]

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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