Apple was allowed to only modify its Apple Watches software to remove SpO2 measurement. A fix that can easily be reversed if successful on appeal.
At the end of last year, Apple suffered a particularly stinging setback from the American import commission. Since this decision, Apple can no longer offer, in the United States, the measurement of blood oxygen saturation on its connected watches, the Apple Watch.
We now know a little more about the measures taken by Apple to comply with this conviction. While the company Masimo, holder of the patents on SpO2 measurement, had requested that Apple Watches remove any hardware element, Apple ultimately settled for a software fix. As reported by the site MacRumors, the software solution adopted by Apple would actually make it possible to operate the SpO2 measurement in the event of jailbreaking with an iPhone with a previous version of iOS. Despite Masimo’s objections, the fix was deemed sufficient by the U.S. Customs Commission.
A measure that will be easier to reintegrate
Above all, as indicated MacRumors, this software patch presents several significant advantages for Apple. Not only did the American manufacturer not need to review the production and design of its connected watches, but above all it will be able to provide them with SpO2 measurement in the future. In fact, Masimo’s patent on this technology runs until 2028. We can therefore easily imagine that Apple could update its Apple Watches by then to allow them to benefit from this functionality again. Furthermore, if the appeal is successful, Apple could also update its watches well before the 2028 deadline.
As a reminder, the SpO2 measurement will estimate, using optical sensors and pulsed red light, the oxygen level in the blood. This measurement not only allows you to check whether the user is not suffering from cardiorespiratory problems, but can also be used to estimate other health data. It can in particular be used to estimate the different phases of sleep or snoring, as well as the effectiveness of recovery during the night.
Apple has already appealed the decision of the American commission. However, this appeal is not suspensive. It is still unclear when the decision on this new trial will be rendered. As a reminder, only the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sold in the United States are affected by this lack of SpO2 measurement.
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