Apple’s latest smartwatch has attracted a lot of attention for its sleek design revision and the addition of a sleep apnea detection system. Yet, as the company inches closer to putting the Apple Watch Series 10 on the shelf, the smartwatch will be missing a crucial feature: blood oxygen tracking.
Also known as SpO2 level analysis, the feature was first introduced about half a decade ago and has been a mainstay on Apple smartwatches ever since. However, earlier this year, Apple was ordered to stop the sale of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatches in the U.S. You can still buy the watches, but they’re sold without the blood oxygen tracking app. That ban has now engulfed the Apple Watch Series 10 as well.
If you live in the U.S., the Apple Watch Series 10 units won’t let you access the Blood Oxygen app. “The ability to measure blood oxygen is no longer available on Apple Watch units sold by Apple in the United States beginning January 18, 2024. These are indicated with part numbers ending in LW/A,” says a footnote on the official Apple Store webpage.
Apple is in trouble due to a patent dispute with a medical tech company named Masimo. The two companies have been embroiled in a lengthy legal battle over the blood oxygen sensor stack, with Masimo claiming that Apple infringed on its patented wearable technology.
Masimo was reportedly in talks with Apple before the release of the first Apple Watch, but the two companies failed to reach an agreement. The tech was said to be in development back then, but it only made its way to the market with the Apple Watch Series 6.
A U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that Apple’s blood oxygen sensors infringed on Masimo’s patents led to a temporary sales block on Apple Watches in the U.S. late last year. Apple, for its part, has tried to get the ruling overturned, after being found of at least partially infringing on patents held by Masimo.
So far, there is no clarity if, or when, the blood oxygen measurement system on Apple Watch Series 10 will start working for buyers in the U.S. But the most likely route will have to pass through another court verdict, one that lands in Apple’s favor.