Some Apple Watch users are about to receive a software update which will provide them with a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature.
The update affects owners of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US who do not yet have the Blood Oxygen feature. Access to the health tool comes after a US Customs ruling.
The update is rolling out right now, says Apple. Following the installation of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, the Health app will then show results in the Respiratory section.
Apple made the announcement in a news posting today. The company says:
Apple will introduce a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users through an iPhone and Apple Watch software update coming later today.
Users with these models in the U.S. who currently do not have the Blood Oxygen feature will have access to the redesigned Blood Oxygen feature by updating their paired iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and their Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1. Following 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 Respiratory section of the Health app. This update was enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.
There will be no impact to Apple Watch units previously purchased that include the original Blood Oxygen feature, nor to Apple Watch units purchased outside of the U.S.
The updated incarnation of Blood Oxygen has been designed to get around an import ban imposed by the International Trade Commission.
The new version does not allow Apple Watch users to see statistics on their watch, instead forcing them to view the same data on their paired iPhone.
The original ban on the availability of the Blood Oxygen feature stemmed from a lawsuit which claims Apple infringed on various patents when it released the tool.
Anyone who bought an Apple Watch before January 17 2024 – when the ban came into force – is unaffected as the original version of the feature is present. Only more recent purchases which saw Blood Oxygen cut will see any changes.
