Apple discontinues blood oxygen measurement function in Apple Watch: what are the reasons for this decision
Following the news in December that the flagship Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches were banned from sale, Apple is trying to bring them back to the market. The problem is that the US Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that the blood oxygen sensors in the devices infringe on patents owned by another company called Masimo.
The initial ban lasted only a few days, and the appellate court granted Apple’s request for a temporary suspension of the sales ban, but the future remains uncertain. The company wants the ban to be suspended for the duration of the appeal process, which could last a year or more and comfortably lead to the launch of the next generation of Apple watches. But the ITC, for example, finds Apple’s arguments weak and unconvincing.
Accordingly, Apple is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Last month, the company began working on a software solution for the problematic smartwatches, saying it would resolve the patent dispute to the satisfaction of all parties.
This week, it became known that the changes are much more drastic than previously anticipated. Instead of changing or even redesigning the process by which the watch measures oxygen in the blood, the software update removes this function entirely. Apple obviously can’t remove the sensor from the device, but it will be disabled at least through a software lock.
The blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor, which came with the Apple Watch Series 6, records on-demand blood oxygen levels as well as background readings throughout the day and night. Apple emphasizes that it is for health purposes only, but this feature is credited with saving lives.
Apple hopes that this workaround will not be necessary – as a Bloomberg analyst notes, this was a highly advertised feature, and its removal could reduce demand.
Bloomberg reports that cases of Apple watches with the new software installed have already been sent to retail stores, although employees have been strongly instructed not to sell or even open the packages.
At the moment, it is unclear whether the new software solution will be applied to watches already purchased through the watchOS update. If so, it would be very unfair to the owners who paid for the feature they wanted. In the meantime, those who desperately need an Apple Watch with blood oxygen measurement should disable automatic software updates by opening the Settings app and going to General > Software Updates > Automatic Updates.
