Sleep apnea in, hypertension out for Apple Watch Series 10

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Apple Watch edited September 6

The Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to get a long-rumored sleep apnea tracking feature as part of Monday's launch, but hypertension detection won't be a new feature this time.

Close-up of a smartwatch with a white band and colorful blurred lights in the background.
A render of the rear sensor of the Apple Watch Series 10



Apple is just a few days away from introducing a line of new products, starting with the iPhone 16 generation. Alongside the iPhones will be other connected hardware launches, with the Apple Watch Series 10 among them.

The focus on new features for the Apple Watch is usually on health and fitness upgrades. For the Apple Watch Series 10, that will include sleep apnea detection.

On Friday, Bloomberg reported sleep apnea detection will build on top of the existing sleep tracking functions of the wearable. The feature will monitor and determine whether the wearer has sleep apnea, notifying them and proposing they check with a medical professional.

The introduction of the feature has been rumored for a while, but users may still have to wait for the feature to arrive. It apparently won't be a day-one feature for the new models.

While sleep apnea sensing is on the way, one feature that won't appear will be hypertension detection. While Apple hoped to have the high blood pressure detection working on the Apple Watch, it is apparently being delayed and pushed to a future release down the road.

Another health element users will miss out on is blood oxygen sensing. Following Masimo's legal fight and the successful ban on Apple using the technology, Apple stripped it out of the Apple Watch.

However, as Apple CEO Tim Cook previously implied that Apple wouldn't license Masimo's patents, blood oxygen sensing won't be making a return anytime soon.

Friday's report also reiterates rumors about the Apple Watch Series 10 getting an updated look with larger size options and a thinner body. The Apple Watch Ultra and a new Apple Watch SE are also expected.

Rumor Score: Likely

Read on AppleInsider

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    djames4242djames4242 Posts: 654member
    Another health element users will miss out on is blood oxygen sensing.
    Well that’s disappointing. I’ve been waiting for this feature to return so I can finally upgrade my tired (and now deprecated) S5…
    dk49forgot usernamedewmepulseimageszeus423longpathwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 41
    Fidonet127Fidonet127 Posts: 565member
    Other rumors say that Sleep Apnea will not be in because the blood oxygen sensing is banned still.
    edited September 6 forgot usernamewatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 41
    sloth77sloth77 Posts: 37member
    djames4242 said:
    Another health element users will miss out on is blood oxygen sensing.
    Well that’s disappointing. I’ve been waiting for this feature to return so I can finally upgrade my tired (and now deprecated) S5…
    Indeed, and it is one factor against upgrading (I have the Series 7).
    forgot usernamezeus423djames4242VictorMortimer
  • Reply 4 of 41
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,951member
    sloth77 said:
    djames4242 said:
    Another health element users will miss out on is blood oxygen sensing.
    Well that’s disappointing. I’ve been waiting for this feature to return so I can finally upgrade my tired (and now deprecated) S5…
    Indeed, and it is one factor against upgrading (I have the Series 7).
    I expect all the hardware is in place. Once the legal stuff if sorted out Apple would just activate the feature through software. 
    forgot usernamesphericjahbladewatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 41
    jfabula1jfabula1 Posts: 152member
    My original ultra is just fine, oxygen sensor is still there. No reason to upgrade and I think Apple is missing a lot but they don’t care, they can earn more somewhere else….
  • Reply 6 of 41
    malba2366malba2366 Posts: 3member
    How are they going to detect sleep apnea if their pulse oximetry feature is still disabled?
    pulseimagesVictorMortimerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 41
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,647member
    It does seem like it will be difficult to detect sleep apnea without pulse oximetry because low oxygen sat levels are one of the most important indicators of sleep apnea. I suppose they may be able to detect breathing interruptions, snoring, and wearers gasping to breathe.

    Like many others I believe the standoff with Masimo is definitely hurting Apple's customers regardless of who is right or who is wrong at the legal level. We are the ones caught in the middle as long as the lawyers keep fighting. I have no doubt that both parties know very well that real people are losing out here. However, at the end of the day they are both firmly committed to placing profits and principles over people. That's just the way the world actually works.
    netroxDAalsethsphericappleinsideruserVictorMortimerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 41
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,475member
    I cannot imagine how Apple will accurately monitor apnea without oximetry. Maybe Apple will announce the Apple Ring which can also monitor oxygen. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 41
    multimediamultimedia Posts: 1,056member
    RingConn Gen 2 will report Sleep Apnea. Only about $200 or if you have Gen 1 a $100 upgrade.
  • Reply 10 of 41
    lotoneslotones Posts: 91member
    Fidonet127 said:
    Other rumors say that Sleep Apnea will not be in because the blood oxygen sensing is banned still.
    I'm fairly sure it would detect the breathing rhythm rather than blood oxygen.
    appleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 41
    omasouomasou Posts: 610member
    I have an early Ultra2 prior to blood oxygen being disabled.

    This may be the first year that I don't upgrade.
    VictorMortimerjahbladewatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 41
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,041member
    I won’t pretend to have medical knowledge but my doctor detected my sleep apnea when he saw a characteristic effect on an ECG and that was
    confirmed by a sleep study.  It’s possible the Apple Watch could do likewise with its ECG feature.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 41
    kelliekellie Posts: 61member
    Apple is more interested in profits than helping their customers lead healthier lives. The licensing fee they would have to pay for O2 levels is a pittance in the overall scheme of finances at Apple. They got caught violating a patent and their ego is preventing them from admitting it which is preventing existing and future customers from the health benefits of monitoring O2 saturation. 
    gatorguyDAalseth
  • Reply 14 of 41
    thttht Posts: 5,599member
    You guys need to be mindful that the blood oxygen feature is only disabled in the USA. It works everywhere else in the world, and Apple Watches are being sold with the feature today. 
    Fidonet127luke hamblysphericAlex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 41
    Fidonet127Fidonet127 Posts: 565member
    kellie said:
    Apple is more interested in profits than helping their customers lead healthier lives. The licensing fee they would have to pay for O2 levels is a pittance in the overall scheme of finances at Apple. They got caught violating a patent and their ego is preventing them from admitting it which is preventing existing and future customers from the health benefits of monitoring O2 saturation. 
    A) the other company is large, why shouldn’t they just make the patents free to use to save lives?

    B) the other company’s CEO said Apple’s implementation was so flawed that it shouldn’t be used. If it was so flawed, then it wasn’t the same. 

    C) it is likely Apple was charged a large amount. That large amount isn’t coming from Apple. It will come out from consumers buying Apple devices. This means less people will buy these life saving devices. 
    zeus423dewmeVictorMortimerjahbladewatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 41
    thttht Posts: 5,599member
    kellie said:
    Apple is more interested in profits than helping their customers lead healthier lives. The licensing fee they would have to pay for O2 levels is a pittance in the overall scheme of finances at Apple. They got caught violating a patent and their ego is preventing them from admitting it which is preventing existing and future customers from the health benefits of monitoring O2 saturation. 
    The US Trade Court said the Apple Watch violated a Masimo patent for a blood oxygen sensor that is housed in a convex surface with a chamfer. This patent was filed after Apple started selling watches with a blood oxygen feature. 

    Masimo submarined Apple here. Ie, they got a patent on an Apple Watch design feature 5 years after the design shipped. 

    As far as I am concerned, Apple should never license Masimo tech, and if it comes down to it, don’t have the feature in the USA until the patent ages out.
    edited September 6 XedVictorMortimerjahbladewatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 41
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,556member
    tht said:
    kellie said:
    Apple is more interested in profits than helping their customers lead healthier lives. The licensing fee they would have to pay for O2 levels is a pittance in the overall scheme of finances at Apple. They got caught violating a patent and their ego is preventing them from admitting it which is preventing existing and future customers from the health benefits of monitoring O2 saturation. 
    The US Trade Court said the Apple Watch violated a Masimo patent for a blood oxygen sensor that is housed in a convex surface with a chamfer. This patent was filed after Apple started selling watches with a blood oxygen feature. 

    Masimo submarined Apple here. Ie, they got a patent on an Apple Watch design feature 5 years after the design shipped.
    I think the patent you're referring to has a priority date of 7/3/2008. That's way before the Apple Watch was even a thought. Am I mistaken? If so, what's the patent number for the one you're talking about? 

    EDIT: I think you're getting confused by the grant date, which can be years after the patent application was filed. Those are two different things; Apple wasn't submarined. 
    edited September 6 dewmemuthuk_vanalingambeowulfschmidt
  • Reply 18 of 41
    longpathlongpath Posts: 398member
    djames4242 said:
    Another health element users will miss out on is blood oxygen sensing.
    Well that’s disappointing. I’ve been waiting for this feature to return so I can finally upgrade my tired (and now deprecated) S5…
    Agreed. I see little reason to “upgrade” & lose a feature I use daily.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 41
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,475member
    I just thought of something else, is oximeter ever used to alert the person of insufficient oxygen like heart rate? 


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 41
    luke hamblyluke hambly Posts: 37member
    tht said:
    You guys need to be mindful that the blood oxygen feature is only disabled in the USA. It works everywhere else in the world, and Apple Watches are being sold with the feature today. 
    Thank you! This article is just another example of the US media forgetting the rest of the planet exists!

    Now has it actually been removed from new watches or just disabled for USA? I doubt AppleInsider will be finding out before or after the launch!
    watto_cobra
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