Blood Oxygen Monitoring is Back on Apple Watch

London, 15 August 2025 – In the high-stakes chess game of health technology, Apple has made a quiet but calculated move that could reshape the board. Beginning Thursday, the tech giant will restore Blood Oxygen monitoring to its latest Apple Watch models — a feature it was forced to remove in early 2024 after losing a bruising legal battle with U.S. medical technology company Masimo.

The dispute began in 2021, when Masimo accused Apple of stealing trade secrets and infringing patents tied to pulse oximetry — the sensor technology used to measure blood oxygen levels. By late 2023, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in Masimo’s favour, triggering an import ban on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models with the feature enabled. Apple pulled the devices from sale in December 2023, then secured a brief reprieve during appeal — but the ban ultimately stood.

From Setback to Strategic Pivot

Rather than contest the ruling indefinitely, Apple engineered a software-based workaround. Under the redesign, the Watch’s optical sensor still gathers raw data, but processing and display now occur on the paired iPhone — a shift approved by U.S. Customs earlier this summer.

The update, delivered via watchOS 11.6.1 and iOS 18.6.1, allows the feature to return to eligible devices sold after the ban without violating the ITC’s order.

“Apple has turned a regulatory defeat into a narrative of resilience,” says Priya Venkataraman, a market strategist at TechFront. “It’s a reminder to rivals that no one plays the long game better.”

What’s at Stake

While the return may seem like a minor product tweak, it marks a significant moment in the billion-dollar wearables race. Blood Oxygen monitoring remains a sought-after wellness metric for athletes, high-altitude travellers, and individuals tracking respiratory health.

For Apple, restoring the feature reinforces its position as the gold standard in consumer wearables — and signals to competitors that it will not easily surrender its health tech crown.

Rollout at a Glance

• When: Thursday via watchOS and iOS updates
• Who Gets It: Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 sold in the U.S. after the January 2024 ban
• How: Enabled automatically post-update; readings appear in the Health app’s Respiratory section on iPhone
  
  

What began as a courtroom defeat has evolved into a strategic win — one that demonstrates Apple’s mastery not just in design, but also in navigating the fine print of global tech regulation.

‍