Blood Oxygen tracking is back on the Apple Watch in the US, but it's now a two-device experience

Date:
Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:13:39 +0000

Description:
After 18 months, Apple is bringing a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature back to the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 in the United States, but
the experience is different.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Followin g an 18-month ban, Blood Oxygen tracking is coming back to the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 It's not an entirely on-device experience anymore, though The Apple Watch still measures Blood Oxygen, but the iPhone will calculate and display the final result

Its been a long 18 months, but Apples announced that Blood Oxygen tracking
and monitoring are returning to the Apple Watch Series 9 , Series 10 , and Ultra 2 in the United States.

The feature was disabled and effectively banned on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 then the Series 10, which launched later after a ruling in January 2024 due to a patent dispute over the technology being used between Massimo and Apple. Now, thanks to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, which will roll out later
today, the feature is returning in a redesigned form.

In its new iteration, the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2s sensors can take a reading, then transmit the data to the connected iPhone, where it will be calculated and displayed in the Health app under Respiratory readings.

So no, you wont be able to take the reading, watch as it progresses, and then view the results right on your wrist, as you could before. Still, this does effectively return the tracking and monitoring functionality to the impacted Apple Watch models in the United States.

In a statement shared , Apple explains the changes as:

Users with these models in the U.S. who currently do not have the Blood
Oxygen feature will have access to the redesigned Blood Oxygen feature by updating their paired iPhone to iOS 18.6.1, and their Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1. Following 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 Respiratory section of the Health app. This update was enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.

The U.S. Customs ruling is key here, as this will return the feature to the Apple Watches sold when the ban began and was subsequently enforced. If you still have an older Apple Watch, or one sold prior to January 2024, the Blood Oxygen functionality remains unimpacted and wont be changed. That also goes for any models sold outside of the United States, which have been unimpacted by this ruling.

Still, this does return the Blood Oxygen feature to the Apple Watch, even if it splits the experience between watch and phone. But this separation is likely key to having this allowed and approved by U.S. Customs. (Image
credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

For those who have purchased an Apple Watch Series 9, 10, or Ultra 2 in those many months, this is a return to form and rounding out of the health tracking features on Apples star wearable in the United States. Even in our Apple
Watch Series 10 review , we noted that the Blood Oxygen tracking feature was missing in the US.

Apple has a pretty smart rollout here, and considering rumors of further pushes into health features that we might see with future generations of
Apple Watch models, it might be helpful to have these readings going straight into the Health app. Either route, though, if youve been waiting for Blood Oxygen tracking to return, its back, but youll want to make sure your iPhone is nearby if you want to see the results.

While Apple has not shared an exact timing for the rollouts of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, it has promised to arrive today August 14, 2025 in the United States, and well update this piece when we see it rolling out. You might also like Constantly dismissing notifications on your Apple Watch?
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/blood-oxygen-tracking-is -back-on-the-apple-watch-in-the-us-but-its-now-a-two-device-experience


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