Apple Restores Blood Oxygen Feature on Some U.S. Watches After Regulatory Approval

Apple (AAPL.O) announced on Thursday that it will reintroduce a blood oxygen measurement feature to certain Apple Watch models in the United States via a software update. The update applies to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 after approval from U.S. authorities. Users will be able to monitor blood oxygen levels on a paired iPhone.

The move resolves a long-running legal dispute with Masimo (MASI.O), which accused Apple of misappropriating its pulse oximetry technology and hiring its employees. In 2023, Masimo won a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling blocking imports of Apple Watches with the feature, prompting Apple to temporarily remove it and triggering a prolonged appeals process.

Apple said the update allows users to start a session in the Blood Oxygen app on the watch, which collects sensor data for calculation and display on the iPhone. The Series 6 Apple Watch first introduced pulse oximetry in 2020, while Masimo launched its blood oxygen-tracking W1 watch in 2022.

Apple had briefly resumed sales after persuading the Federal Circuit to pause the import ban, but the ban was later reinstated, necessitating the temporary removal of the feature in the U.S. Masimo shares fell 4.5% on Thursday.