Apple has announced that it will release a software update for iPhone and Apple Watch later today with a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature” for Apple Watch users in the United States. This comes over 18 months after Apple began selling the Apple Watch without the Blood Oxygen feature in America due to a patent dispute.
The new feature will be made available as part of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 updates.
In a statement to 9to5Mac today, an Apple spokesperson said:
“Apple will introduce a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch users in the U.S. through an iPhone and Apple Watch software update available later today. With 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 Health app. This update will be available for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users in the U.S. who do not have the original Blood Oxygen feature.”
As a refresher, Apple has been embroiled in a legal battle with health technology company Masimo for years over patents related to the Apple Watch’s Blood Oxygen feature. The situation escalated in December 2023 when an import ban kicked in, prohibiting Apple from selling Apple Watch models with the Blood Oxygen feature in the U.S.
Apple halted sales of the Apple Watch in the U.S. for several days due to the import ban. On January 18, 2024, Apple began selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 without the Blood Oxygen feature.
That has been the status quo ever since. Apple introduced the new Apple Watch Series 10 last September, and it too is missing the Blood Oxygen feature in the U.S. In the meantime, Masimo and Apple have continued hashing things out in court.
iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 coming today
Apple says that it will release iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 later today to introduce a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature” for Apple Watch users in the United States. The company says the update will be available for Apple Watch Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2 users in the U.S. who don’t have the original Blood Oxygen feature.
The update specifically applies to those Apple Watch models purchased in the United States with part numbers ending in LW/A. You can find the part number by going to the Settings app on your Apple Watch, tapping General, then tapping About. It’s also in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone under General and About.
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