Apple Revamps Blood Oxygen Tracking on Watch After Patent Dispute
Apple has introduced a redesigned blood oxygen monitoring feature for select Apple Watch models, following a lengthy intellectual property battle.
The updated feature will roll out to users of the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.
The dispute dates back to 2023, when the International Trade Commission determined that Apple’s blood oxygen technology infringed on patents held by Masimo, a medical device company. The ruling temporarily halted sales of certain Apple Watches in the U.S., with Apple resorting to shipping modified versions of its devices without the sensor.
In its announcement, Apple emphasized its ongoing commitment to health innovation, saying its teams “work tirelessly to create products and services that empower people with leading health, wellness, and safety tools, grounded in science and designed with privacy at the core.”
Users currently lacking the function will be able to unlock it by updating their iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and their Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1. Once installed, blood oxygen data will appear in the Respiratory section of the Health app.
This upgrade continues Apple’s push into digital health. Recent features include sleep apnea detection on the Apple Watch and advanced hearing health tools on AirPods. Earlier this year, the company also launched its first large-scale health study in five years.
