Apple brings blood oxygen to some of its last Apple Watch models in the United States, but with a touch. The functionality returns after months of absence following a patent dispute which forced the company to remove it from the newly sold devices. Now Apple restores the functionality with a bypass solution thanks to the latest software updates to iOS 18.6.1 and Watchos 11.6.1.
Apple’s decision to publish the update follows a new American customs decision that allows the company to import watches with a redesigned version of technology. So now, instead of processing readings on the watch itself, the updated system will allow Apple Watch to send raw sensor data to the paired iPhone for the calculation. The final results will then be available in the respiratory section of the Health Application. In short, Apple Watch users will once again be able to measure their blood oxygen levels with their watch, but the results will appear on the iPhone.
Blood oxygen functionality prohibition in Apple Watch
The last decision on the bypass solution stems from a long legal battle between Apple and Masimo, a medical technology company based in California known for its pulse oxymeters. The company accused Apple of violation of patents linked to pulse oximetry, technology behind the blood measure. He even alleged that the iPhone manufacturer had poached employees to obtain commercial secrets. Masimo brought the case to the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) and, after years of back and forth, ITC has stored on the side of Masimo in 2023, leading to an import ban on certain Apple watches equipped with disputed technology.
After the decision, Apple could no longer sell models like series 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States with the original blood oxygen function. On January 17, 2024, Apple had to send these watches without the activated features, while the models sold before this date – or outside the United States – retained their complete capacities.
Now, with the new update of the operating system, Apple reintroduces functionality in the United States via this bypass solution. “Users with these models in the United States who do not currently have the blood oxygen functionality will have access to the redesigned functionality of blood oxygen by updating their iPhone paired with iOS 18.6.1 and their Apple Watch in Watchos 11.6.1,” said the company. He added that there will be “no impact on the previously purchased Apple Watch units which include the original blood oxygen function, nor to Apple Watch units bought outside the United States”
However, it should be noted that the new version only applies to watches sold after the ITC ban has entered into force. Users can check the eligibility by looking at the serial number of the device on the back. Apple Watch models with figures ending with “LW / A” are the models that have been affected by the prohibition and will receive the redrawn blood oxygen functionality via the update.
Apple launched the monitoring of blood oxygen in 2020, up to the COVVI-19 pandemic. Although it has never been promoted as a medical quality diagnostic tool, functionality has proven to be popular among health -carers and those who monitor respiratory problems. It is also part of the broader health and fitness follow -up suite of the company, which includes ECG readings, irregular heart rate notifications, sleep monitoring, temperature detection, falling falls, etc.
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