Apple Watch Blood Oxygen Returns—Now With a Sneaky Twist

Source: Apple

Apple just pulled off one of its classic workaround moves. After nearly a year and a half without it, the Blood Oxygen monitoring feature is officially back on Apple Watches in the U.S. But there’s a catch: the Watch is no longer the star of the show. Instead, your iPhone has quietly stepped in to handle the math, analysis, and results.

This all traces back to a legal showdown between Apple and medical tech firm Masimo over pulse oximeter patents. When the U.S. International Trade Commission sided with Masimo in 2023, Apple had to disable Blood Oxygen monitoring on Watches sold after January 17, 2024. Buyers of the Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 suddenly found themselves with premium hardware… but minus a key health feature.

So how did Apple bring it back? By thinking differently—literally. Instead of processing the SpO₂ data on the Watch, the raw sensor info now gets sent to the paired iPhone, which crunches the numbers and displays results in the Health app under the Respiratory tab.

That means:

• Your Watch still captures the data.

• Your iPhone does the analysis.

• You check results inside the Health app instead of your wrist.

It’s not as seamless, but it’s clever enough to win U.S. Customs approval and get the feature back in users’ hands—well, technically, in their pockets.

To restore the feature, you’ll need to update:

• watchOS 11.6.1

• iOS 18.6.1

For those who like to live on the edge, watchOS 26 public beta also includes the functionality.

Early users have reported mixed experiences:

• Some are just thrilled to have the feature back at all.

• Others have noted quirks like delayed syncing, slower results, and the occasional Health app crash.

Still, the general mood is relief—many Apple Watch fans considered Blood Oxygen tracking a must-have for fitness and health insights. One reviewer even said the feature’s return “restores an important metric many had lost,” giving Apple a competitive boost against Whoop and other wellness-focused wearables.

Apple’s workaround isn’t just a technical fix—it’s a strategic move. By respecting the court ruling but still delivering on user expectations, Apple keeps its Watches relevant in the health tech race. The move signals that Apple won’t easily surrender ground in the wellness space, even when legal hurdles loom.

With Series 11 and Ultra 3 expected on the horizon, the big question is whether Apple will manage to bring Blood Oxygen fully back to the wrist without relying on the iPhone. Until then, this hybrid approach proves that where there’s a patent war, there’s an Apple workaround.

The Uncommon Breed

---