Apple Working on New Watch Feature That Detects Blood Oxygen Saturation: Report

Apple’s blood oxygen detector is reported to be more accurate than Fitbit, using the ECG feature.

By Darab Mansoor Ali | Updated: 9 March 2020 18:48 IST

Apple had first introduced the ECG feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018

Highlights

Apple is said to bring the blood oxygen detector to Apple Watch Series 6
The feature could come with the WatchOS 7 update
Using the ECG, the blood oxygen level detector can be more accurate

Apple seems to be developing at least two new upgrades to the health-related features of Apple Watch, including a blood oxygen detector and removing the 120 beats per minute (BPM) limitation for the ECG feature, an online report has claimed. The report is based on an exclusive look into the iOS 14 code snippets. According to the report, Apple is developing a new health notification, based on the vital measurement of the level of oxygen in a person's blood.

According to a report by 9to5Mac, Apple Watch will send a notification when it detects blood oxygen below a certain level, similar to the heart rate notification on the current generations of the Apple Watch. The report adds that it is still unclear if this blood oxygen detector will require new hardware or software tweaks. However, it is said that this could be an Apple Watch Series 6 feature or could come to all Apple Watch models with the WatchOS 7 update.

Blood oxygen levels between 95 to 100 percent are considered healthy, while below 80 percent may lead to heart and brain problems.

The report also said that the current generation of Apple Watch is also believed to be capable of measuring blood oxygen levels through its built-in heart rate monitor. Although Fitbit has already introduced this feature, it is said that Apple could offer a more sophisticated version using the Electrocardiogram feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5.

Apple is also working to upgrade the ECG feature on the current Series 4 and Series 5 Apple Watch models. The current ECG feature can read inconclusive ECG readings with heart rates ranging from 100 and 120 BPM. A new update, however, is said to remove these limitations. Apple had first come up with the ECG feature with its Apple Watch Series 4, launched in 2018.

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