Apple Restores Blood Oxygen Feature on Selected Watch Models Following Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution

Tech giant Apple unveiled an overhauled blood oxygen feature for select Apple Watch users, marking the culmination of a multi-year intellectual property dispute concerning this functionality.

The tech titan announced that the updated feature would be available to owners of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 beginning today. The update was made possible due to a recent U.S. Customs ruling.

In 2023, the International Trade Commission determined that Apple’s blood oxygen sensors violated intellectual property rights held by Masimo, a leading medical technology company. Consequently, Apple temporarily halted sales of certain watches and began marketing modified versions sans the blood oxygen feature.

“Apple’s teams strive to deliver cutting-edge health, wellness, and safety features to our users, founded on science and privacy principles,” stated the tech firm in a press release announcing the feature launch.

Efforts to reach Masimo for comment have yet to yield a response.

Users without the feature can access it by updating their iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and their Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1, as per Apple’s announcement. Results will be viewable in the Respiratory section of the Health app.

Apple has increasingly ventured into the healthcare sector over the past few years.

The company recently introduced a sleep apnea detection feature for Apple Watch users and hearing health features for its AirPods headphones. In February, Apple commenced its first significant health study in half a decade.

For more insights on Apple’s AI strategy, watch our interview with Tony Wang from T. Rowe Price.