Apple Watch users in the U.S. can now use their wearable to measure their blood oxygen level. But it works slightly differently now.
In late 2023, Apple was banned from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the U.S. This was because of a lawsuit filed by Masimo, a medical tech company. Masimo alleged that Apple had infringed its patented tech for a Pulse Oximeter (SpO2) sensor, and that it had been used in Apple Watch models since 2020, in the Apple Watch Series 6 and above.
It claimed that Apple had recruited many of Masimo's employees, including their Chief Medical Officer, and used their knowledge to craft the sensor for Apple Watch models. The Cupertino company had rejected the allegations, but the ITC found Apple guilty of breaching the patent for the sensor, and banned the company from selling the wearables in the United States.
Shortly after the import ban, Apple resumed sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, but with an important change. They no longer supported blood oxygen monitoring, to comply with the law. Now, Apple says it has redesigned how the feature works, and has made it available for users once again via a software update for the Apple Watch.
Prior to the ban, the Apple Watch would use its sensor and the Blood Oxygen app to measure and calculate the user's blood oxygen level. Now, the data is collected from the Blood Oxygen app on the watch, but it is processed on the user's iPhone, i.e. the latter does the measuring and calculating part. Users can access the data from the Health app's Respiratory section. Apple says this change was necessary due to a recent U.S. Customs ruling.
Users will need an iPhone running iOS 18.6.1 and an Apple Watch on watchOS 11.6.1 to use the blood oxygen feature. This change does not affect Apple Watch units purchased outside the U.S. or those that previously included the original feature.
Some users said they were not able to get a manual reading on their Apple Watch Series 10, but some people say that completing an ECG (also called EKG) causes the Blood Oxygen app to work properly. Take a look at the official support page to learn how the Blood Oxygen feature works.
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