Gone past the US import ban: Apple Watches receive new blood oxygen measurement

Apple wants to unlock the deactivated blood oxygen measurement on Apple Watches produced for the US market-but in a modified form. With the updates set for Thursday to iOS 18.6.1 and Watchos 11.6.1, it should be possible to measure the oxygen content in the blood with the Apple Watch model series Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2. However, the calculation now makes the coupled iPhone and the result can only be viewed there in the Health app, As Apple announced.

However, this does not seem possible on the clock itself-in contrast to other regions such as Germany, in which the blood oxygen app carries out on the watch and also shows the value there.

Apple: No effects on other watches

The new watchos update has no effect on watches that have the “original blood oxygen function”, nor on models of the smartwatch that were bought outside the USA, notes Apple. Users who have bought their watch on a US trip over the past year and a half can also measure the oxygen content in the blood for the first time.

The update was possible through a new decision by the US customs, noted Apple without giving any further details. Since the beginning of 2024, Apple has blocked the blood oxygen function on US watches, the part number of which ends with the LW/A drawing combination in order to continue importing the smartwatch.

After a patent complaint from Masimo, the trade supervisory authority International Trade Commission (ITC) had imposed an import ban against Apple for the US market at the end of 2023-it considered two Masimo patents injured. Masimo and Apple have had a bitter patent dispute with lawsuits and counter -suits for several years, obviously did not want to add any of the parties. It remains unclear whether the interim loss of the blood oxygen function has affected the sales of the watch. The sales in Apple’s Wearables division have been stagnating for some time.

Apple bundles more and more values for vital signs

The blood oxygen measurement with the watch is considered not very meaningful, the values are also heavily dependent on the wearing of the watch on the wrist. In contrast to other functions such as the integrated EKG, the blood oxygen app is also not clinically validated. In any case, Apple has brought the data collected with the Watchos 11 vital sign function more. The app provides users about striking deviations from the values for heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, sleep duration and blood oxygen content measured overnight and can thus provide information on an infection. In a few weeks, Apple is expected to present Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and maybe a new SE together with the iPhone 17 series.