{"id":87,"date":"2025-08-13T20:03:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tdi_182_ff8"},"modified":"2025-08-15T00:52:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T00:52:43","slug":"the-hottest-wearable-tech-and-smart-gadgets-of-2021-will-blow-your-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/?p=87","title":{"rendered":"Apple\u2019s Blood Oxygen Monitoring Returns to Its Latest Apple Watches"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After being sidelined for over a year due to legal challenges, Apple\u2019s blood oxygen monitoring feature is making a comeback\u2014albeit with a clever redesign that keeps it U.S.-compliant.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"158\" data-end=\"193\">What\u2019s Changed and How It Works<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"195\" data-end=\"269\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">Apple has reinstated the blood oxygen tracking feature on the Apple Watch Series\u202f9, Series\u202f10, and Ultra\u202f2 via a fresh software update. However, there&#8217;s a twist: instead of performing calculations on the watch itself, the device now sends raw sensor data to the paired iPhone, which handles the measurement. Users can view the results in the <em data-start=\"342\" data-end=\"355\">Respiratory<\/em> section of the iPhone\u2019s Health app(<\/span><span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><span class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\"><a class=\"flex h-4.5 overflow-hidden rounded-xl px-2 text-[9px] font-medium text-token-text-secondary! bg-[#F4F4F4]! dark:bg-[#303030]! transition-colors duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/759158\/apple-watch-blood-oxygen-redesign-import-ban-wearables-smartwatch?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"relative start-0 bottom-0 flex h-full w-full items-center\"><span class=\"flex h-4 w-full items-center justify-between absolute\"><span class=\"max-w-full grow truncate overflow-hidden text-center\">Apple,2025).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"271\" data-end=\"308\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">To get this redesigned feature, users must update their devices:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"309\" data-end=\"427\">\n<li data-start=\"309\" data-end=\"350\">\n<p data-start=\"311\" data-end=\"350\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"10\" data-is-only-node=\"\">iPhone<\/strong>: iOS\u202f18.6.1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"351\" data-end=\"427\">\n<p data-start=\"353\" data-end=\"427\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\"><strong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"15\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Apple Watch<\/strong>: watchOS\u202f11.6.1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p>This workaround addresses the long-running patent spat<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Apple and medtech company Masimo have been having a legal tussle for a while where the latter claiming Apple&#8217;s original implementation infringed on its pulse oximetry patents. An earlier ruling led to a U.S. import ban that forced Apple to disable the feature on new models sold in the U.S.<\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"505\" data-end=\"553\">Which Devices Are Affected\u2014and Which Aren\u2019t?<\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"555\" data-end=\"633\"><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">The update applies <strong data-start=\"19\" data-end=\"47\">only to U.S.-sold models<\/strong> made <strong data-start=\"53\" data-end=\"79\">after January 17, 2024<\/strong>, with serial numbers ending in <em data-start=\"111\" data-end=\"117\">LW\/A<\/em>. Devices sold before that date\u2014or those purchased outside the U.S.\u2014retained the original, on-watch functionality.<\/span><em><span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><span class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\"><a class=\"flex h-4.5 overflow-hidden rounded-xl px-2 text-[9px] font-medium text-token-text-secondary! bg-[#F4F4F4]! dark:bg-[#303030]! transition-colors duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/759158\/apple-watch-blood-oxygen-redesign-import-ban-wearables-smartwatch?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"relative start-0 bottom-0 flex h-full w-full items-center\"><span class=\"flex h-4 w-full items-center justify-between\"><span class=\"max-w-full grow truncate overflow-hidden text-center\">(The Verg2025)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In addition to loving beauty and taking care of myself, I also love opening people minds to other paths of self-care, and good marketing and I can honestly say that I use and personally love this product but I&#8217;m not sure for which reason.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Why This Is a Big Win for Apple<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"672\" data-end=\"798\">\n<p data-start=\"674\" data-end=\"798\"><strong data-start=\"674\" data-end=\"698\">Strategic workaround<\/strong>: Apple has found a way to reintroduce a popular health feature without violating trade regulations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"799\" data-end=\"1019\">\n<p data-start=\"801\" data-end=\"1019\"><strong data-start=\"801\" data-end=\"828\">Health utility restored<\/strong>: Blood oxygen readings became a key selling point during COVID-19\u2014useful for athletes, travelers at altitude, and anyone monitoring respiratory health.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1020\" data-end=\"1212\">\n<p data-start=\"1022\" data-end=\"1212\"><strong data-start=\"1022\" data-end=\"1039\">Legal victory<\/strong>: A recent U.S. Customs ruling confirms the redesigned method is compliant, while Apple continues to appeal the original ITC decision.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"1214\" data-end=\"1240\">What Users Are Saying<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1242\" data-end=\"1317\">In reaction threads like Reddit\u2019s r\/AppleWatch, users applaud the redesign:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"1318\" data-end=\"1474\">\n<p data-start=\"1320\" data-end=\"1474\">\u201cThey are avoiding the patent by processing the sensor data on your phone rather than on the watch itself, clever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1476\" data-end=\"1565\">Many wonder how measurements will work when the Apple Watch isn\u2019t paired with the iPhone:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"1566\" data-end=\"1695\">\n<p data-start=\"1568\" data-end=\"1695\">\u201cI often run without my phone\u2026 curious if the watch will cache the info until it pairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1697\" data-end=\"1816\">Apple has not clarified whether real-time readings (taken directly on the watch) remain supported under the new system.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1818\" data-end=\"1831\">Takeaway<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1833\" data-end=\"2131\">If you own a Series 9, Series 10, or Ultra 2 sold in the U.S. after early 2024, you can reclaim the Blood Oxygen feature\u2014just update your devices to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1. It\u2019s a restored capability with a clever twist, keeping crucial health tracking intact while navigating legal hurdles.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2133\" data-end=\"2268\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Let me know if you\u2019d like help walking through the update process or comparing how this works against other smartwatches on the market!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After being sidelined for over a year due to legal challenges, Apple\u2019s blood oxygen monitoring feature is making a comeback\u2014albeit with a clever redesign that keeps it U.S.-compliant. What\u2019s Changed&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":276,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions\/276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=87"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=87"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fynder.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}