Apple Watch ECG: Smart heart tracking feature arrives in UK

Owners in countries across Europe including the UK can now get readings on their heart health

Jeff Williams, chief operating officer of Apple Inc., speaks during an Apple event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park on September 12, 2018 in Cupertino, California (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Apple Watch users across Europe can now measure their heart health after Apple turned on one of the smart watch’s headline new features.

After being regulatory approval, the company has flipped the switch that means the watch can take electrocardiogram, or ECG, readings. The update will arrive for anyone who has the latest watch as well as being updated to the most recent version of the software.

While the technology to power the ECG feature has been present in all Series 4 Watches since they were released, Apple hasn’t been able to turn it on because it has not been approved. That means a new update will be able to switch it on, without any extra work from owners.

(The ECG feature had not even been available in the US from the beginning, and arrived in its own update in December.)

Once it arrives, the feature is used by simply opening up the special ECG app, laying your finger on the digital crown on the side of the Watch, and allowing it to take a measurement. That is then shown on screen and can be saved to send off to a doctor.

Though only the latest Series 4 version of the Watch can use the ECG feature, the new update brings other heart tracking tools. It can look out for atrial fibrillation, or AFib, in its wearer – watching their heartbeat for unusual patterns and notifying them if they occur.

Apple’s chief operating officer, Jeff Williams, told The Independent in an exclusive interview that the Apple Watch was the perfect place to measure people’s health because it is such a personal device.

“Apple Watch is the most personal device we have ever created, and because you wear it, there’s an opportunity to understand more about your body,” he said. ”And I think there’s this subtle, but important, aspect of Apple Watch, where your relationship is different than with other devices.

“Apple Watch allows for an in-the-moment association, making it a more natural health companion to nudge you in a friendly way.”

You can read The Independent’s full interview with the people behind the Apple Watch and its new features here.