Apple Watch just got a stunning upgrade, new blood oxygen feature launches today - what it means for you

Apple Watch's new blood oxygen feature launches today: Apple Watch users in the United States are getting a long-awaited health feature back, but in a redesigned form. Following a lengthy legal battle and months without the popular Blood Oxygen function, Apple is releasing a software update today that alters how the feature operates.

The new design avoids previous patent issues while still allowing wearers to monitor oxygen levels, with one notable difference: calculations will now take place on your iPhone rather than directly on your watch.

Apple is releasing iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 in the United States today, bringing back a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2, as per a report by 9to5mac.

Why did Apple change the Blood Oxygen feature?

Apple Watch users in the United States are finally getting access to a health feature that has been missing for more than a year, but it will require a redesign. Apple has announced that, beginning today, a new software update will reintroduce Blood Oxygen monitoring to select models, resolving the long-running legal dispute that led to its removal.

ALSO READ: Microsoft eyes remote work crackdown, office return could be imminent - here’s what it means for staff

The change follows an 18-month dispute with health tech company Masimo, which accused Apple of infringing on its patents. That dispute heated up in December 2023, when the United States International Trade Commission imposed an import ban on Apple Watch models equipped with the original Blood Oxygen sensor. Apple temporarily halted sales before resuming them in January 2024 with versions that had the feature completely disabled, as per a report by 9to5mac.

Since then, the Blood Oxygen function has been removed from Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models sold in the United States. The redesigned system is Apple's attempt to bring it back without violating patent restrictions, the key difference is where the measurements are processed, as per a report by 9to5mac.

ALSO READ: Every iPhone 17 model gets upgrades — here’s the full breakdown and what’s new across every model

How does the new system work?

The redesigned feature, available today in iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, moves data processing from the watch to the iPhone. While your Apple Watch sensors continue to collect raw data during a reading, the paired iPhone handles all calculations.

This means that instead of seeing your results on your wrist, you'll find them in the iPhone's Health app, under the Respiratory section. Apple says the feature will also support background readings, allowing your watch to quietly collect data throughout the day and send it to your iPhone for analysis, as per a report by 9to5mac.

For the time being, the update only applies to Apple Watch models sold in the United States that do not have the original Blood Oxygen feature, specifically those with part numbers ending in "LW/A." You can check this in your Watch's settings or with the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

Will the older Apple Watches be affected?

Apple is quick to assure customers that this change will not affect devices purchased prior to the ban that still have the original Blood Oxygen feature enabled. It will also not affect watches purchased outside of the United States, where the patent dispute does not apply, as per a report by 9to5mac.

ALSO READ: Orca attack mystery: What really happened to marine trainer Jessica Radcliffe


Apple's decision to reintroduce the feature in a modified form comes after U.S. Customs ruled that it could import watches using this redesigned method. Meanwhile, Apple continues to challenge the original patent decision, hoping that the US Court of Appeals will overturn it, as per a report by 9to5mac.

In a statement to 9to5Mac today, an Apple spokesperson said, “Apple will introduce a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch users in the U.S. through an iPhone and Apple Watch software update available later today. With this update, 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 Health app. This update will be available for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users in the U.S. who do not have the original Blood Oxygen feature.”

FAQs

Which Apple Watch models will include the redesigned feature?
Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models sold in the United States lack the original Blood Oxygen function.

Where can I see my blood oxygen levels now?
On your iPhone's Health app, not on the Apple Watch.