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The Apple Watch’s New Feature Used to Be Banned

It’s unexpected but much-welcome news for everybody with an Apple Watch.

Smartwatch on a wrist displaying app icons and names, including Apple Store, Audiobooks, Blood Oxygen, Calculator, and Calendar. The watch has a dark screen with colorful app icons and a black strap.Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

By Tucker Bowe

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It’s basically lore now.

Beginning in late 2023, Apple and the medical technology company Masimo had a patent dispute regarding the use of the blood oxygen feature used in the Series 9 and Ultra 2.

There was an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling and, well, Masimo won.

This resulted in Apple being forced to sell modified versions of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 — and subsequently the Series 10 — with the blood oxygen feature disabled since early 2024. If you already owned a Series 9 or Ultra 2, Apple rolled out a firmware update that also disabled the feature.

Well, as of today, Apple has seemingly found a workaround and is now reintroducing blood oxygen monitoring to previously disabled Apple Watch models.

A banned feature, returned

Smartwatch with a black screen displaying a message that reads: "The Blood Oxygen app is no longer available. Learn more in the Health app on your iPhone." The time shown is 12:31. The watch has a dark fabric strap and is worn on a person's wrist.
As shown on the Series 10, the blood oxygen app on the newest Apple Watches had previously been disabled.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

In a news post, Apple has stated that it’s rolling out a firmware update that will enable blood oxygen monitoring on the Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2. But it’s a little different than before.

Following the update, Apple states that “sensor data from the Blood Oxygen app on Apple Watch will be measured and calculated on the paired iPhone, and results can be viewed in the Respiratory section of the Health app.”

Essentially, Apple has redesigned the feature so that blood oxygen data is calculated and displayed on the paired iPhone, rather than the Apple Watch. It’s a clever workaround that, according to Apple, has been enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.

This only affects the Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2. Previous Apple Watch models that had blood oxygen monitoring — which included any model Series 6 or later (excluding the SE) — weren’t impacted by the ITC ruling and will continue to work as usual.

In case you’re wondering, knowing your blood oxygen data is an important wellness metric for assessing overall wellness and health. A low blood oxygen level can be an early indicator that you’re getting sick, for example. This data can also give you insights into the quality of sleep that you’re getting.

Smartphone displaying an article titled "An update on Blood Oxygen for Apple Watch in the U.S." dated August 14, 2025, with the Apple logo above the title. The article mentions a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users in the U.S., with an update coming later today. The phone is on a wooden surface.
Apple issued the news earlier today.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

When’s it coming?

Due to the feature requiring both your Apple Watch and your iPhone, both will need to be running the latest software.

Your iPhone will need to be updated to iOS 18.6.1, while your Apple Watch will need to be updated to watchOS 11.6.1.

Apple says that both these updates will be coming “later today.”

To learn more about the blood oxygen update on your Apple Watch and iPhone, check out Apple’s blog post.

About the Author:

Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. As a Tech Staff Writer, he tracks everything in the consumer tech space, from headphones to smartphones, wearables to home theater systems. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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