Apple Watch Blood Pressure Monitoring Feature Delayed, Confirms Gurman

Highlights

• Apple Watch Blood Pressure feature has been delayed.
• Apple is likely delaying the feature release to improve its accuracy.
• Apple might be using AI models to interpret data, aiding in accuracy improvements.

One of the long-awaited features of Apple Watches was blood pressure monitoring, earlier reported to be in development for Series 10.

However, reports now suggest the feature might not arrive anytime soon.

The recent report doesn’t provide any specific reasons for the delay. It surely suggests that some issues were reported after testing the health feature with the Series 10.

Bloomberg’s trusted Apple reporter Mark Gurman in his latest weekend newsletter revealed that the company may have hit snags during the Series 10 design testing phase.

“I’m told that long-awaited capability ran into problems during testing, specifically with the updated design for the Series 10, so Apple delayed it,” Gurman suggests.

Previously, we had contradictory claims when it came to the Apple Watch blood pressure feature.

On one hand, we had Nikkei in 2021 claiming that the feature will arrive in the Apple Watch Series 7.

On the other hand, Gurman refuted Nikkei’s claim suggesting different plans of the Cupertino giant.

It is well-known in tech circles that Apple has been working on adding blood pressure monitoring to Apple Watches for a while now.

Gurman too confirmed back in 2022 that it was at least a couple of years away hinting at the arrival of the feature with Series 10.

Blood pressure monitoring in the traditional medical field requires bulky equipment.

There are pressure cuffs and scales involved, both of which need to be attached to the patients.

A 9to5Mac report quotes the NCBI study to explain this further.

“When the cuff is fully inflated to [a high] pressure, no blood flow occurs through the artery. As the cuff is deflated below the systolic pressure, the reduced pressure exerted on the artery allows blood to flow through it and sets up a detectable vibration in the arterial wall. When the cuff pressure falls below the patient’s diastolic pressure, blood flows smoothly through the artery in the usual pulses, without any vibration being set up in the wall.”

As per the 9to5Mac report, Apple Watch blood pressure monitoring will instead techniques similar to the heart-rate sensor we have seen in these watches.

It will study the pulse wave and estimate any likely stiffness of the arterial wall.

We have seen similar techniques being used in Huawei Watch D previously. However, accuracy has always been an issue with the devices.

9To5Mac report also draws from the Mayo Clinic comments that say these devices are usually overreading.

The clinic instead recommends the measurements should be calibrated against a cuff measurement from traditional equipment used by medical professionals.

“Using a wrist blood pressure monitor at home often gives falsely high readings due to poor positioning. If you use one, place it directly over the wrist artery, called the radial artery, where you can feel the pulse. Keep your wrist at heart level. Be still during the test and don’t bend the wrist. Bending the wrist can cause incorrect readings.

It’s common for blood pressure readings taken at home on any type of monitor to be different from those taken at a medical office. If you have a wrist blood pressure monitor, take the device to your healthcare professional’s office. Your care team can compare the blood pressure in your arm and wrist to make sure your device is working well.”

This could be a reason Apple is taking its time to release the feature. The company is most likely working on improving the accuracy of the feature before going ahead with the launch.

It is also reported that Apple might be using AI models to interpret the data, which could help with the accuracy.

FAQs

When is the Apple Watch getting Blood Pressure monitoring?

While it was supposed to be released with Watch Series 10, Apple is likely taking its time to improve the accuracy of the feature before launching it.

What are some key features of the Apple Watch Series 10?

The Apple Watch Series 10 features a thinner design, the largest and most advanced display yet, faster charging, and insightful sleep apnea notifications. It also includes water depth and temperature sensors. It comes in new aluminium and titanium finishes.

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