Turns out the biggest new Apple Watch health features don't require new hardware. One of the standout moments at Apple's September iPhone event was the announcement of two new health features on the Apple Watch: hypertension notifications and a new sleep score. Hypertension notifications will alert Apple Watch owners of potential signs of high blood pressure, a condition that goes undiagnosed in millions of people. Sleep Score, meanwhile, grades the quality of your rest on a 0â100 scale.
Because these new features were unveiled on stage as part of the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 announcement at the keynote, many (including myself) assumed they'd be exclusive to the newest high-end models. But upon closer review, Apple is staying true to its promise to roll out features as they're ready and not just when new hardware drops.
Both these features will be coming not just with the new models, but also with the update to WatchOS 26 and could go as far back as the Series 6 and Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) in the case of Sleep Score.
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Hypertension alerts
While it's not the full blood pressure monitoring that many Apple Watch fans were hoping for, hypertension alerts use existing sensors to tackle a serious health concern: a potentially fatal, silent condition that many people don't even realize they're living with. According to Apple the feature is expected to notify over 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension within the first year.
Much like Apple's irregular heart rhythm and sleep apnea notifications, hypertension alerts work in the background and don't require any extra steps. After a 30-day analysis period, the watch will send an alert if it detects patterns consistent with high blood pressure. Apple is clear that this is not a diagnosis. The feature is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration, with clearance expected later this year, but the goal is to provide an early warning that sparks a conversation with a physician.
If an alert does appear, the Apple Watch will recommend that you confirm the results with a traditional blood pressure cuff. All related data can be logged in the Health app on your iPhone, and exported as a PDF for your doctor. That extra step cuts out the typical "wait and track" cycle often required after a doctor's visit and instead lets you walk in with actionable data in hand.
The feature will be preloaded onto the new Series 11 and Ultra 3 and will be part of the WatchOS 26 update on Sept. 15 for the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2.
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