A render of the rear sensor of the Apple Watch Series 10
The long-rumored blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnea features of the Apple Watch probably aren’t going to arrive in Apple Watch Series 10, or Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Rumors over the years have claimed that Apple is bringing blood pressure monitoring to the Apple Watch, possibly doing so by the Apple Watch Series 10. There has also been speculation that sleep apnea functions would also be added.
Unfortunately, Apple may have encountered too many issues to actually introduce the features in its 2024 generations.
Apple’s work on measuring instances of high blood pressure, known as hypertension, hasn’t been reliable enough for the company, Bloomberg said on Sunday. Sources add that there were concerns about the function working correctly under the new design of Apple Watch Series 10.
Furthermore, while there are expectations of full blood pressure readings, Apple’s system won’t offer that. Instead, it is apparently only going to monitor if the user’s blood pressure is high compared to an established baseline, and even then only alert the user.
Sleep Apnea
The sleep apnea function is being affected by an entirely non-technical problem. Apple’s lawsuit with Masimo Corp over blood oxygen saturation detection technology means Apple can’t measure that vital statistic.
For sleep apnea to exist on the Apple Watch, either Apple has to find a way to successfully end the lawsuit, or work around it entirely.
It is plausible that Apple could include the technology in the Apple Watch Series 10 but keep it disabled at launch. That would give Apple the opportunity to activate it at a later time, following the lawsuit and if its allowed to continue using the technology.
A bigger goal ahead
While also not likely to arrive with the Apple Watch Series 10, one feature is arguably a bigger target for Apple to reach.
Glucose monitoring has been rumored and in development for close to a decade, with no sign of it actually reaching wrists anytime soon. This is largely because it’s difficult to perform glucose monitoring without being invasive, such as requiring direct blood access.
However, Sunday’s report was told that Apple has managed to hit some major milestones in its development. This is a good sign for the function’s future arrival, if not speculating on when that could be.
