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Apple says it will disable a blood-oxygen monitoring feature on its two most popular watches in the U.S. beginning Thursday to comply with a court-ordered revival of a sales ban stemming from a patent dispute.
The decision to turn off the blood-oxygen sensor for consumers who buy either the Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 in the U.S. came after a federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to extend an order that had allowed the watches to remain in stores during a battle over the rights to some of the technology.
A temporary stay issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals three weeks ago had allowed the two watch models to return to stores in the U.S. after Apple pulled them from shelves and websites just before Christmas as part of a long-running battle with medical technology company Masimo.
The U.S. International Trade Commission in late October ruled a blood-oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch models infringed on Masimo’s patents, a finding that Apple is trying to overturn in appeals court. But that process could take at least a year to unfold, forcing the Cupertino, California, company to find another way to keep its premium watches available in the U.S.
In a Monday court filing, Masimo disclosed Apple has won approval from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on revisions that would remove the blood-oxygen sensor from the watches.
Signaling Apple’s confidence of winning the appeal of the ITC ruling, the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models sold in the U.S. beginning Thursday will still come with a Blood Oxygen icon, but when it’s pressed, users will be greeted by a notice informing them the technology isn’t available.
Those who have already purchased the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models in the U.S. will still be able to use the blood-oxygen sensor as they have been. The sensor will continue to work on those watches purchased outside the U.S.
If Apple had opted to stop selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the U.S., it threatened to put small dent in the company’s annual sales of $383 billion. Although the company doesn’t disclose the volume of Apple Watch sales, analyst estimate the product accounts for about $18 billion in annual revenue.
Apple’s lower-cost watch, called the SE, isn’t affected by the changes caused by the battle with Masimo because that model has never had the blood oxygen feature. But that technology, which Apple introduced into its watch lineup in 2020, has been a key part of the company’s effort to position the devices as life-saving tools to monitor users’ health.
In court filings urging the appeals court to continue blocking the sales ban, Apple argued that enforcing the ITC’s patent order would cause unnecessary harm to “a pioneering product made by a quintessentially American company that directly employs more than 90,000 employees” in the U.S.
Masimo argued that Apple won’t be significantly harmed by the U.S. sales ban of the Apple Watch models, given most of the company’s revenue comes from the iPhone. What’s more, Masimo sought to portray Apple as a corporate bully engaged in the brazen theft of intellectual property widely used in hospitals and other health professionals that treat about 200 million patients annually.
FAQs
Apple will disable the blood-oxygen feature on premium watches sold in the US as part of a patent dispute. Apple says it will disable a blood-oxygen monitoring feature on its two most popular watches in the U.S. beginning Thursday to comply with a court-ordered revival of a sales ban stemming from a patent dispute.
Will Apple disable the blood oxygen sensor? ›
The U.S. International Trade Commission had ruled in October 2023 that the blood-oxygen sensor in these Apple Watch models infringed on Masimo's patents. Apple, confident of winning the appeal, will continue selling the watches in the U.S. with the Blood Oxygen icon present but the functionality disabled.
Is the Apple Watch blood oxygen patent dispute? ›
The International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that the blood oxygen sensors in both devices infringed on patents from Masimo. Apple's Watch workaround to avoid an import ban has reportedly been approved. Word of this comes not from US Customs, but Masimo's own lawyers in a letter published by 9to5Mac.
Is Apple removing the blood oxygen feature from some watches after US ban? ›
Apple will remove the blood oxygen measuring feature from some of its latest Apple Watches in the United States in a move that will allow the company to continue selling the devices in the country as it fights a lawsuit against California-based health technology firm Masimo.
Is blood oxygen being removed from Apple Watch? ›
The ability to measure blood oxygen is no longer available on Apple Watch units sold by Apple in the United States beginning January 18, 2024. These are indicated with part numbers ending in LW/A. Learn how to identify your Apple Watch.
Why is Apple removing the oxygen sensor? ›
The sensor previously monitored the levels of oxygen in the blood. The reason Apple disabled the blood oxygen sensor is a legal one. Apple has been in an ongoing patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo, which alleges that Apple has infringed on its blood oxygen technology patents.
Does the Apple Watch Ultra 2 still have a blood oxygen sensor? ›
You'll remember, but just in case, Apple was accused of patent infringement by health device maker Masimo for the way pulse oximetry (measurement of blood oxygen) worked on the Apple Watch. The monitoring feature was then removed from all Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 devices sold in the U.S. by Apple.
Is Apple removing pulse oximeter from watches to avoid sales ban? ›
Apple to remove pulse oximeter from Apple Watches to avoid ban on sales in US. Apple has agreed to remove a blood oxygen measurement tool from two of its Apple Watch models so it can avoid a sales ban on the devices in the U.S., Bloomberg reported.
How accurate is US blood oxygen on Apple Watch? ›
The authors report 95% limits of agreement of -5.8% and +5.9%. In patients and conditions where the conventional pulse oximeter measured >90% spO2, the Apple Watch measured on average 1% higher than the conventional device.
Why can't i enable blood oxygen on Apple Watch? ›
Make sure the Blood Oxygen app is available in your country or region. Update your iPhone Xs or later to the latest version of iOS. Update your Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, or Apple Watch Series 9 to the latest version of watchOS.
The ban stems from an intellectual property dispute with Masimo, a medical device company. In October, the International Trade Commission found that Apple's blood oxygen sensors had infringed on Masimo's intellectual property.
Why did Apple remove the blood oxygen app? ›
Apple decided to drop the health feature after losing a patent case brought by the medical technology company Masimo, which alleged that Apple infringed on its patent for a blood oxygen sensor that can read someone's pulse.
Why was Apple Watch 9 banned? ›
The ITC initially banned sales of the Watch because of a patent dispute brought by the medical technology company Masimo, which sued Apple in 2021.
Will Apple remove the oxygen sensor from existing watches? ›
People who buy a new watch in the United States will still see Apple's Blood Oxygen app on the devices, the company said. But if they tap the app, it will say the feature is no longer available. The change won't affect smartwatches currently in use.
Will apples bring back blood oxygen? ›
Apple can potentially reactivate the feature through a software update or settle with Masimo for a licensing deal. Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 users in the United States may have to wait until 2028 to regain access to the blood oxygen monitoring feature.
Which smart watches have blood oxygen levels? ›
The term blood oxygen level, represented as SpO2, refers to the amount of oxygen saturation in the blood. In any human, this should measure 90% or higher. If your smartwatch reads 89% or less, immediately measure blood oxygen using a pulse oximeter to double-check the data.
How accurate is the blood oxygen sensor on Apple Watch? ›
Of the 100 patients, 61 had a history of interstitial lung disease, 23 had a history of COPD, and 16 were healthy controls. The mean spO2 measured with the conventional pulse oximeters was 94.4%. The mean spO2 measured with the Apple Watch was 95.9%.
Does the Apple Watch 10.3 remove blood oxygen? ›
If I upgrade to watch os 10.3. 1 on my apple watch ultra 2 will I lose the blood oxygen function? No, period, you will NOT lose the O2 function.
Is the blood oxygen app no longer available? ›
Apple Watch users are losing a popular health app after court's ruling in patent case. Apple says the ability to measure blood oxygen levels will no longer be available on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models, after the tech giant's loss in a patent case.
Why does the Apple Watch 9 not have blood oxygen? ›
Apple's announcement comes after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the company can't continue to sell watches with a blood oxygen sensor while the feature remains under a patent dispute with health tech company Masimo.
