In late 2023, Apple briefly halted sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the United States amid a patent dispute with Masimo, a medical technology company. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Apple had infringed on two of Masimo’s patents related to blood oxygen monitoring, a feature known as pulse oximetry. The ITC’s decision was subject to a presidential review period, which ended on December 25, 2023, without intervention from the Biden administration.
As a result, Apple faced a ban on importing and selling Apple Watch models with blood oxygen sensors. In early January 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit temporarily lifted the ban, allowing Apple to continue sales while it appealed. However, on January 17, 2024, the court denied Apple’s request to extend the stay, reinstating the ban as of January 18. To comply, Apple disabled the blood oxygen feature on new Series 9 and Ultra 2 models sold in the U.S., though existing users with older devices retained access.
More than a year later, Apple has not announced plans to restore blood oxygen monitoring to its smartwatches, leaving consumers and industry observers questioning its return.
Why Does Blood Oxygen Monitoring Matter?
Introduced with the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020, the blood oxygen sensor became a hallmark feature, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic when monitoring oxygen levels gained prominence. Unlike the FDA-cleared electrocardiogram (ECG) function, Apple marketed pulse oximetry as a wellness tool, not a medical diagnostic device. The company emphasized that the feature provided “good-to-know” data rather than professional-grade results.
Despite this, blood oxygen monitoring has proven valuable for fitness and wellness tracking. For instance, apps like Gentler Streak integrate blood oxygen data with sleep metrics to calculate daily readiness scores, helping users gauge their physical condition for workouts. The feature’s absence has frustrated some users, particularly those who rely on it for health insights.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple has opted against further legal battles or immediate efforts to reinstate the feature. “Apple often positions its smartwatch as a health-care pioneer,” Gurman wrote, “but the omission of blood oxygen monitoring in U.S. devices is a notable gap. The company, with its vast resources, could settle with Masimo or redesign the feature to avoid patent issues. So far, it has done neither.”
When Might Pulse Oximetry Return?
The Masimo patents at the heart of the dispute are set to expire in August 2028. Unless Apple develops a new blood oxygen sensor that circumvents these patents or reaches a settlement with Masimo, the feature is unlikely to return to U.S. models before then. This timeline suggests that blood oxygen monitoring may not reappear until the Apple Watch Series 14 or later, assuming Apple prioritizes a patent-compliant solution.
In the interim, Apple is reportedly exploring other health features, such as blood pressure monitoring, which could debut in future models. For now, U.S. consumers purchasing new Apple Watches must forgo pulse oximetry, while those with pre-ban devices remain unaffected. This discrepancy may dampen enthusiasm for upgrades among existing users, as Gurman noted, challenging Apple’s reputation as a leader in wearable health technology.
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