Apple Watch Reinvents Blood Oxygen Monitoring to Avoid Patent Disputes

In a noteworthy development, Apple has made a bold comeback with its innovative blood oxygen monitoring feature on the Apple Watch. The tech giant had to previously remove this functionality from its Series 9 and Ultra 2 models following a legal ruling. The ruling had determined that the feature infringed upon existing patents related to light-based pulse oximetry, held by the company Masimo based in California. This decision temporarily barred Apple from importing these models into the US.

Today, Apple has triumphantly announced the reinstatement of a redesigned version of the blood oxygen monitoring functionality for its Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 watches. This revival is possible due to a recent favorable ruling by the U.S. Customs, which permits these models to be sold in the US once again.

The upgraded feature has been skillfully redesigned to sidestep the patent conflicts encountered earlier. Sensor data from the Apple Watch will now be relayed to an iPhone for processing. Users can easily access these health metrics through the Respiratory section within the Health app on their phones. Previously, the feature allowed users to directly view results on the Apple Watch itself.

This revamped version will be accessible after installing the watchOS 11.6.1 update on the watches and iOS 18.6.1 on paired iPhones. Notably, the update will not affect Apple Watches acquired outside the US, as they were never restricted by the import ban. Additionally, those who purchased US models before the ban will find that their devices remain unaffected, since Apple did not retroactively disable the feature.

The initial legal skirmish dates back to 2020 when Masimo filed a lawsuit against Apple. They claimed that discussions for a potential collaboration back in 2013 had been shelved as Apple chose a different path, hiring Masimo engineers to develop the technology independently.