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Apple will bring blood oxygen detection back to its latest smartwatches after the company was forced to stop offering the feature on US models over a patent dispute.
The feature, which is meant to help people understand their respiratory health, will come to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2 models in the US currently missing the functionality through a software update, Apple said in a statement Thursday. It marks the latest development in a years-long saga that saw Apple temporarily yank its popular smartwatches from US store shelves during the critical holiday season nearly two years ago.
In 2023, the International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had violated a patent from digital health company Masimo related to its pulse oximeter technology. Apple said at the time that it “strongly disagrees with the order.”
When the order was issued, it applied only to new Apple Watches in the United States, meaning those who already owned an Apple Watch with the feature were unaffected. Apple Watches sold outside the United States were also unaffected by the order. Still, the Americas, which incudes the United States, is Apple’s biggest market.
Apple has positioned the Apple Watch has being a potentially life-saving device, and the company is said to be exploring more ambitious health efforts like noninvasive glucose monitoring, according to Bloomberg.
Pulse oximeters shine light through the skin to calculate a wearer’s blood oxygen saturation, similar to the finger-clip devices used in clinical settings. Apple introduced the feature on the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020 in the early stretch of the pandemic.
While blood oxygen monitoring may not be a selling point for consumers, health features like these could be critical in helping Apple cement its position ahead of the competition as its rivals increasingly pour resources into digital health.
Samsung, Apple’s chief rival in the consumer electronics space, is charging ahead on the digital health front by introducing features to its smartwatches meant to help users remain healthy as they age. And Google is widely expected to release a new version of its Pixel Watch next week.
The update coming on Thursday will bring a “redesigned” version of the blood oxygen feature to US users who currently don’t have access to it. Apple Watch owners will have to update to software version watchOS 11.6.1 and pair their device with an iPhone running on iOS 18.6.1.
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