Latest news with #software update
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Apple to bring blood oxygen feature to some US watches with software update
By Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Apple will bring a blood oxygen measurement feature to some of its watch models via a software update after receiving approval from the U.S. government amid a protracted legal dispute over the technology, it said on Thursday. The move will allow users of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States to view their blood oxygen levels on a paired iPhone. It comes after years of legal wrangling with Irvine, California-based Masimo, which has accused Apple of hiring its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology after discussing a potential collaboration. Masimo won a ruling at the U.S. International Trade Commission to block imports of watches with the feature, which prompted Apple to remove the feature and set off a lengthy appeals process. Its shares were down 4.5%. The watch models affected Thursday did not have the blood oxygen feature when shipped, but Apple said U.S. Customs had approved the software update. With the update, a user can start a session in the blood oxygen app on Apple Watch, and the Apple Watch sensors will collect data that will be used by the iPhone to calculate and display the levels, Apple said. Apple first introduced pulse oximetry in its Series 6 Apple Watches in 2020. Masimo released its blood oxygen tracking W1 watch in 2022. Masimo convinced the ITC to block imports of Apple's Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023, based on the commission's determination that Apple's technology for reading blood oxygen levels infringed upon Masimo's patents. Apple temporarily resumed sales of the watches the next day after persuading the Federal Circuit to pause the ban. The Federal Circuit reinstated the ban the next month, leading Apple to remove pulse oximetry capabilities from its watches in the United States. Masimo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Health
- Digital Trends
Blood oxygen measurement returns to the Apple Watch, sort of
Apple has just announced a software update that will enable the missing blood oxygen level measurement capability on the Apple Watch. The update will enable the biosensing feature on the Watch Series 9, Series 10, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, once users update their iPhone and smartwatch to the latest build. What does it mean for users? In order to use the blood oxygen feature again on the Apple Watch Series 9, 10, and the Ultra 2, users will have to update their smartwatch to watchOS 11.6.1. The update is now rolling out to users in the United States. In addition to it, the feature will only work when users also update their iPhone to iOS 18.6.1, which has also been released simultaneously. Recommended Videos There's a crucial difference this time around. Instead of seeing the blood oxygen measurement on the Apple Watch screen, users will now have to open the Health app on their iPhone. That's because Apple is now doing the computation on the iPhone, instead of accomplishing it on the wearable and showing the results natively on the Apple Watch due to the patent dispute over alleged theft of the underlying pulse oximetry tech. 'Sensor data from the Blood Oxygen app on Apple Watch will be measured and calculated on the paired iPhone, and results can be viewed in the Respiratory section of the Health app,' instructs Apple. For all other Apple Watch models not affected by the patent dispute, they will continue to measure and show the measurements in the Blood Oxygen app on the smartwatch's screen. Why the hassle? So far, Apple Watch users have been able to track their blood oxygen saturation levels on their Apple Watch and see the readings on their wrists. But owing to a patent dispute with a company named Masimo and an import ban on models that offer this feature, the Cupertino-based company had to pull this capability after lengthy legal battles and an import ban handed down by the International Trade Commission The ban came into effect back in December of 2023, and despite a brief respite, Apple had to disable the blood oxygen features on the watches it sold following the trade restriction in the US. Apple has expressed disagreement with the charges leveled against it by Masimo, after the company filed two seprate lawsuits against the Apple Watch maker. Interestingly, Apple began working on a software-based workaround soon after the ITC ruling. It appears that the company was ready with an alternative route, but it's surprising that Apple took over a year and a half to enable it.
