Apple brings back Blood Oxygen feature to Apple Watch, but there’s a catch
Apple on Thursday announced that it is bringing a redesigned Oxygen tracking feature to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users in the United States. Notably, the tech giant had been banned from importing Apple Watches with that feature by an International Trade Commission ruling in early 2024, and it is now bypassing the restriction with a clever workaround.
The Cupertino-based tech giant will calculate and measure the blood oxygen data on the iPhone that the Apple Watch is paired with, and users will not be able to view this data on their wrist. To check their blood oxygen levels, users will have to navigate to the Respiratory section under the iPhone’s Health app.
In its announcement, Apple said that a recent US customs ruling has ensured it can import Apple Watches with the new Blood Oxygen feature.
To get the redesigned feature, Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 users will have to update their iPhones and Apple Watches to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 respectively.
The redesigned Blood Oxygen feature only impacts Apple Watches sold in the US after 17 January 2024, when the ITC ban took full effect. Any previously sold Apple Watches in the US, or units bought elsewhere in the world, continue to have the original Blood Oxygen feature.
Apple has been in a legal dispute with medical device maker Masimo, a company known for its pulse oximeters. The Irvine, California-based company accused Apple of directing its employees to steal pulse oximetry technology after discussions over a potential collaboration.
Masimo filed a case before the ITC in 2021, which led to an import ban in December 2023. Meanwhile, Apple has countersued Masimo over its smartwatches, which Apple claims are Apple Watch clones. The tech giant has also filed an appeal against the ITC ruling.
The redesigned Blood Oxygen feature comes at a time when Apple is preparing to announce new Apple Watches during the iPhone launch event next month, and the company is expected to heavily bank on this feature to drive Apple Watch sales.
