iOS 18.6.1 And watchOS 11.6.1 Launch With Restored Blood Oxygen Feature In The U.S.

A couple of weeks after releasing the iOS 18.6 and watchOS 11.6 updates, Apple has just launched iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1. These new software versions restore the blood oxygen functionality banned from American Apple Watch models due to a legal dispute between Masimo and Apple.

By the end of 2023, this legal battle briefly forced Apple to halt Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sales. Then, by the beginning of 2024, the company resumed sales of the smartwatches, but without the blood oxygen functionality. More frustrating for users, if they needed to repair an Apple Watch, it would lose support for this previously built-in functionality.

In a press release shared earlier this morning, the company announced that these users will now have access to "redesigned blood oxygen features by updating their paired iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and their Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1." According to the company, the captured data will be measured and calculated on the iPhone, with the results available in the Respiratory section of the Health app.

While Apple says nothing is changing for those who purchased a newer Apple Watch outside the U.S., it's good to see this functionality making a comeback in one of Apple's most important markets.

More than that, restoring blood oxygen support could also lead to other new health features. In a previous report, Bloomberg suggested that Apple plans to add blood pressure monitoring to the Apple Watch Series 11. The device is expected to be unveiled next month alongside the iPhone 17.

The blood pressure technology is expected to follow the same path as the blood oxygen and sleep apnea functionalities, where Apple warns users that there might be something wrong depending on the measurements. While the sensors won't have the same FDA approval certificate as the ECG sensor, at least it's going to be something users can check with the watch.