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When the Apple Watch was originally released in 2015, it was pitched as a great watch, an intimate way to communicate, and a comprehensive fitness device. While the original Apple Watch (later renamed Series 0) lacked GPS and was generally a slow device, it has shown dramatic improvements year over year particularly for Apple’s health initiatives.

When Apple released the Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watches, it added heart rate monitoring for Apple Health. When you enable heart rate monitoring, you  can also turn on heart rate notifications, so you know if your heart rate remains above or below a chosen beats per minute (BPM), or to occasionally check for an irregular heart rhythm. Irregular rhythm notifications are available only with watchOS 5.1.2 or later in certain countries.

With Apple Watch Series 4, Apple added a electrocardiogram monitoring (also known as ECG and EKG). The ECG app on Apple Watch (Series 4 or newer) can record your heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor and then check the reading for atrial fibrillation (AFib). It then records that information into the Apple Health app.

Since the release of Apple Watch, there have been countless stories of people’s lives being saved by the health advancements in Apple Watch and Apple’s Health initiatives.

Apple Watch ECG

If you have an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, here’s a how to guide on how to take an ECG.

Apple also includes a Health app on the iPhone where it easy to learn about your health and start reaching your goals. It consolidates data from iPhone, Apple Watch, and third-party apps in one place.

Top Stories on Apple Health

Surgical complications really brought home the value of Apple’s Health Records feature

Surgical complications really brought home the value of Apple's Health Records feature | iPhone screenshot on blurred surgery photo

Apple first launched its Health Records feature way back in 2018, to provide a unified view of our own health records.

Recent complications following surgery really showed how valuable this could be if universally adopted, not just for us as patients, but also to assist healthcare providers in delivering the best standard of care …

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Report: Apple ran ‘highly secretive’ test of blood glucose app

Apple Park | AAPL (9to5Mac image)

A new report from Bloomberg today details that Apple quietly tested an app this year designed to “help people with prediabetes manage their food intake and make lifestyle changes.”

The test comes as Apple continues its work on a noninvasive glucose tracker, a long-running moonshot project that dates back to the Steve Jobs era.

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PSA: New Hearing Protection feature for AirPods Pro 2 won’t be available worldwide [Updated]

AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Test

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features would only be available in the United States and Canada. This is incorrect. Those features will be available in available in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan.

We’ve updated the story reflect that Hearing Protection is the only feature limited to the US and Canada.


Apple on Monday shared another glimpse at the new Hearing Health features coming to AirPods Pro 2 with iOS 18.1 next week. However, even if you have compatible hardware running the latest software, the Hearing Protection feature will only be available in the United States and Canada.

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Expand your Apple Health data with these smart blood pressure monitors [Updated]

Over the years, Apple has vastly expanded the Health app on iPhone with ways to track weight, fitness, and much more. Earlier this year, we broke down the best smart scales for syncing weight with an iPhone. And with iPadOS 17 last year, the Health app is also now on iPad.

Another measurement that can integrate with Apple’s Health app is blood pressure. Here are some of the current options on the market for syncing blood pressure with the Health app on your iPhone.

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Here’s how the Apple Watch blood oxygen feature could return after Masimo shakeup

Here's how Apple Watch blood oxygen feature could return | Low-key shot of the Watch

One of the biggest barriers to upgrading to a new Apple Watch this year is that, if you’re in the US and currently own a model with blood oxygen measurement, you wouldn’t get that feature in your new model.

That’s due to the patent dispute between Apple and Masimo, but now that the health tech company’s CEO has resigned, there could be a potential way to resolve the matter …

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Apple patent describes using AirPods to detect heart disease, likely next year

Apple patent describes how it could use AirPods to detect heart disease | Airpods x-ray image with heart-shaped sparkler display

9to5Mac recently discovered evidence in iOS 18 that Apple is testing using future AirPods models to measure heartbeat, with our sources indicating that the feature will be implemented in both AirPods Pro 3 and the next generation of Powerbeats Pro.

An Apple patent application describes how the company can use a health sensor not just to measure heart-rate, but also to detect heart disease …

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The Apple Watch blood oxygen battle hurts the company and its customers

The Apple Watch blood oxygen lawsuit | Series 6 with the O2 app open

It’s not often that upgrading to the latest model of an Apple product means sacrificing a key feature, but that is the case for anyone in the USA upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 10 from the S6 or later.

The reason is that, if you bought a Series 6, 7, 8, or 9 (before January 18), then it includes a blood oxygen measurement feature; if you buy the Series 10 or Ultra 2, you’ll lose that …

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Three Apple Watches get FDA approval for sleep apnea detection, from today

Apple Watch sleep apnea

Three Apple Watches have received approval for detecting sleep apnea, just in time for today’s launch of the feature in watchOS 11.

The Federal Drug Administration approval was able to be granted swiftly on the basis that the way Apple is doing it is “substantially equivalent” to methods already approved by the FDA …

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Using AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid is better than an over-the-counter dedicated device

Using AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid is better than an OTC device | A close-up of a woman wearing a conventional hearing aid

When Apple issues the firmware upgrade needed to use AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid, it will put the company into direct competition with existing over-the-counter (OTC) products.

Most OTC hearing aids offer Bluetooth headphone functionality, so a single device will serve both functions either way, but AirPods will offer two significant advantages …

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Expand your Apple Health data with these smart blood pressure monitors [Updated]

Over the years, Apple has vastly expanded the Health app on iPhone with ways toa\ track weight, fitness, and much more. Earlier this year, we broke down the best smart scales for syncing weight with an iPhone. And with iPadOS 17, the Health app is also now on iPad.

Another measurement that can integrate with Apple’s Health app is blood pressure. Here are some of the current options on the market for syncing blood pressure with the Health app on your iPhone.

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Should there be an Apple Ring with health tracking and gesture support? [Poll]

Would you buy an Apple Ring similar to the Samsung one shown?

Health and fitness tracking is the primary pitch of the Apple Watch, but has the time now arrived for the option of a more compact device in the form of an Apple Ring?

Samsung yesterday unveiled its Galaxy Ring, which collects health data (including sleep tracking), in a device with a claimed battery life of seven days …

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Apple’s most impactful watchOS 11 feature will require this fall’s new Apple Watch

Micro-LED Apple Watch Ultra project not cancelled | Existing Ultra model shown

Next week’s WWDC is going to be all about software. iOS 18 will introduce a host of new AI capabilities dubbed ‘Apple Intelligence’ that are sure to be the star of the show.

Per a new report, however, watchOS 11 is surprisingly set to offer its own highly transformative feature for users. The catch? That feature will require this fall’s new Apple Watch to use it.

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