Apple has revealed a major software update for iPhone and Apple Watch users in the United States, featuring a revamped Blood Oxygen functionality. This update, part of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, arrives over 18 months after Apple started marketing the Apple Watch without this feature due to a legal dispute with health tech firm Masimo.
The revamped Blood Oxygen feature will be accessible for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users in the U.S. who do not possess the original Blood Oxygen feature. As stated by an Apple representative, the update permits sensor data from the Blood Oxygen app on the Apple Watch to be recorded and computed on the connected iPhone, with results available in the Health app.
This progress follows a lengthy legal conflict between Apple and Masimo over patents associated with the Blood Oxygen feature. The situation intensified in December 2023 when an import prohibition prevented Apple from distributing Apple Watch models with the Blood Oxygen capability in the U.S. As a result, Apple suspended sales of the impacted models for several days before resuming sales without the feature.
The new software update will permit users to initiate a session in the Blood Oxygen app on their Apple Watch, where the watch will gather the required data. This data will subsequently be processed by the iPhone to deliver Blood Oxygen readings, which can be accessed in the Respiratory section of the Health app. Furthermore, the revamped feature supports continuous background blood oxygen measurements, enabling the Apple Watch to perpetually collect data and transmit it to the iPhone for evaluation.
Apple specified that this update does not impact Apple Watch units that were previously acquired with the original Blood Oxygen feature or those purchased outside the U.S. The modification follows a ruling by U.S. Customs allowing Apple to import Apple Watch models with this new software design. Apple is also appealing the initial ITC ruling concerning the patent dispute.
The iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 updates are scheduled for release later today, representing a significant advancement in Apple’s ongoing initiatives to enhance its health monitoring features on the Apple Watch.
