Good news: Apple Watches sold in the U.S. after January 2024 lost their built-in blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking because of a patent dispute with medical company Masimo, but the feature will return via a software update coming out today.
In a Newsroom post, Apple says it’s introducing a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.” The reworked blood oxygen feature will be pushed out on iPhone and Apple Watch via an iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 software update. “Following this update, sensor data from the Blood Oxygen app on Apple Watch will be measured and calculated on the paired iPhone, and results can be viewed in the Respiratory section of the Health app.”
Apple also added, “There will be no impact to Apple Watch units previously purchased that include the original Blood Oxygen feature, nor to Apple Watch units purchased outside of the U.S.”
Neither Apple nor Masimo has shared full details on how blood oxygen tracking is returning to impacted Apple Watches. “This update was enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling,” writes the iPhone maker.
Blood oxygen tracking was disabled on Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 after Masimo sued Apple in 2020 for infringing on its health monitoring patents. At the center of the lawsuit was how the Apple Watch measured pulse oximetry via noninvasive sensors, which led to Apple disabling blood oxygen monitoring in smartwatches shipped to the U.S. The hardware sensors were still present on all shipping Apple Watches; the feature was only disabled in software, leaving open the possibility for some future resolution. Five years after being sued and 1.5 years after shipping disabled Apple Watches to the U.S., blood oxygen is returning, but the catch is that users will not be able to get the blood oxygen reading on the smartwatches themselves. The sensor in the Apple Watch can collect SpO2 data via its built-in sensors, but to view the information, you’ll need to see it on a paired iPhone. It’s not a perfect restoration of the feature, but it’s better than nothing if you own one of the aforementioned Apple Watch models sold after January 17, 2024.
The timing couldn’t be better for the tech giant. The company is less than a month out from announcing new Apple Watches—likely Series 11 and possibly Ultra 3—alongside a family of iPhone 17 devices and maybe even new AirPods with a live translation feature.
Somewhere at Apple Park, Tim Cook and COO Jeff Williams, who led Apple Watch design but is leaving by the end of the year, are cracking open some tall boys in celebration.
