Apple Watches might soon detect blood oxygen levels

According to new reports, Apple is placing an even greater focus on health with the development of a new Apple Watch feature that can detect blood oxygen levels. It's not confirmed when this feature will roll out, but it could form part of watchOS 7 set to release later this year.

9to5mac was able to take a look at iOS 14 ‘code snippets' and is reporting that Apple are planning to implement the ability to detect blood oxygen levels in their Apple Watches. Blood oxygen levels should be between 95 and 100% for a healthy individual, whereas levels below 80% may show symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pains, confusion and headache. There is even a risk of respiratory or cardiac arrest after continued low blood oxygen saturation.

In an effort to help customers fight low blood oxygen levels, Apple is developing a new health notification based on the vital measurement. When Apple Watch detects a low level of blood oxygen saturation it will trigger a notification that alerts the user – similar to the current heart rate notifications.

Image credit: wccftech

It's still unclear what hardware and software will support the blood oxygen detection. It's possible that the coming Apple Watch Series 6 hardware will be required to use the new health features, or it could also be that all Apple Watch models will get the new functionality. In any case, it is highly likely that the added feature will be introduced when watchOS 7 rolls out later this year.

Time will tell if the original Apple Watch hardware is capable of detecting blood oxygen levels through the built-in heart rate monitor or if an upgrade is needed to be able to use the new feature.

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KitGuru says: Apple is indicating that it is going to put more focus on health with the added functionality to measure blood oxygen levels. What do you think about the upcoming feature?

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