Apple Revives Blood Oxygen Monitoring in US After Legal Standoff with Masimo

Apple Inc. has announced the reintroduction of the blood oxygen tracking feature on its Apple Watch for the US market following the resolution of its prolonged legal dispute with Masimo Corp. The functionality had been suspended due to patent litigation and a US Customs ban since the end of 2023.

The restoration is planned through updates to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1. Notably, Apple has modified how the blood oxygen feature operates; data will not be directly displayed on the watch itself. Instead, it will be transmitted to a paired iPhone, where users can access their readings in the "Breathing" section of the Health app.

According to Apple, this update has been made possible due to a recent judgment by US Customs. It will be applicable to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in the US where the feature was previously disabled. Watches that come equipped with the feature or those purchased outside the US will not be affected by this update.