Apple Just Removed A Key Health Feature From The Series 9 And Ultra 2 Watches: Here's Why
The official Apple store in the United States now flashes a rather disheartening message for smartwatch enthusiasts. "Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 no longer include the blood oxygen features," says the smartwatch category page. Apple's support page also clarifies that as of January 18, the two aforementioned smartwatches no longer offer the ability to analyze blood oxygen saturation levels.
If you are buying an Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 in the USA, units with model numbers that end with LW/A don't offer pulse oximetry capability. Now, Apple hasn't removed the actual sensors capable of measuring blood oxygen saturation levels. Instead, it has only disabled the pulse oximetry system using a software-level lock.
On a related note, if you are an existing owner of the Apple Watch Series 9 or the Ultra 2, the blood oxygen validation or SpO2 system will continue to work just fine. The Blood Oxygen app will no longer come pre-installed on new units sold after January 18, both via the online store as well as the retail outlets. According to a Bloomberg report, Apple could have to sell these nerfed Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 units for as long as a whole year or more.
How did it come to this?
The decision to sell two of its latest smartwatches without a key health-centric feature comes after legal setbacks in a patent infringement case. At the center of the dispute is Masimo, a company that develops medical tech, including those targeted at wearable form factors. Masimo was reportedly in touch with Apple even before the debut of the first Apple smartwatch. However, no partnership materialized between the two. Apple allegedly poached talent from Masimo, and a few years later, it introduced blood oxygen measurement capability on the Apple Watch Series 6.
The long-drawn-out legal battle eventually reached the United States International Trade Commission, which ruled that Apple infringed upon Masimo's patented tech and imposed an import ban on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. Apple sought an interim stay on the ban, but earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Apple's request to extend the stay. In the wake of the U.S. ITC ruling, Apple began shipping units of the affected models with the pulse oximetry system disabled. Now that any immediate legal avenues for relief have dried up, Apple has started selling the two smartwatches without the blood oxygen analysis feature disabled out of the box.