Apple brings back one of the Apple Watch’s main features after it disappeared

Blood oxygen monitoring had to be removed because of a patent issue

(Getty Images)

Apple will finally restore one of the Apple Watch’s central features.

In 2020, Apple started adding blood oxygen monitoring to its watches, with a view to allowing people to track their wellness. It was the headline feature of that year’s Apple Watch Series 6 update.

But in 2023, Apple was hit by a patent claim by Masimo, a medical technology company. It claimed that the Watch used patented technology to do that pulse oximetry – and the resulting legal case meant that Apple was forced to disable the feature on new watches in the US.

It has been removed ever since, though reports have suggested that it is switched off in software and that the Watch itself was unchanged. The removal also only affected new Watches.

Now, however, Apple says that it has found a way to allow existing Apple Watches that do not have the feature to get it, without infringing those patents.

When Apple Watch owners update their iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and their WatchOS to 11.6.1, they will get access to the feature.

It will work by gathering the data on the Apple Watch but sending it to be calculated on the iPhone, where it can be seen on the Health app. Apple says that update was the result of a recent customers ruling.

Apple Watches that already had the feature – from before, or those outside of the US – will not be affected by the change.

Apple’s legal cases with Masimo are still ongoing, and the relevant patents are set to expire in 2028.