Apple Watch ECG App Receives Approval in China, Already Working in watchOS 8 Beta 2

The Apple Watch ECG (electrocardiogram) functionality has received regulatory approval in China, giving Apple the all-clear to launch the feature for Apple Watch users in the country.

apple watch ecg wrist
According to a new document posted today by China's National Medical Products Administration, Apple has received approval for an ECG. The filing doesn't offer any details about when the feature may launch to Chinese Apple Watch users; however, posts on Chinese social network Weibo, spotted by ITHome, suggest that the feature is already live on the latest watchOS 8 betas.

With the Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6, users can take an ECG by placing their finger on the Digital Crown while they wear their watch. The Apple Watch, using an array of onboard sensors, reads the electrical pulses from a wearer's heart. The reading, which can be viewed as a PDF through the Health app on the paired iPhone, can detect if a user's heart is out of rhythm and possibly experiencing atrial fibrillation.

ECG on the Apple Watch most recently launched in Australia and Vietnam as part of the watchOS 7.4 update.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tags: China, ECG
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...

Top Rated Comments

Techwatcher Avatar
49 months ago
Was surprised China approved this at first.

Then I realized I'm not surprised since it means this gives their government full access to the citizens' health information. :rolleyes:
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John6me Avatar
49 months ago
Still waiting for this feature in Mexico :(
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IIGS User Avatar
49 months ago
That's great.

So now they'll have a better idea of who's organs are most worthy of harvesting.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghost187 Avatar
49 months ago
This long process of getting approval all over the world is probably the reason we are not getting new health sensors on a yearly basis. Also, when are we going to get a basic thermometer on our watch? Sounds basic enough to me.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oliversl Avatar
49 months ago
We need this support in LatinAmerica
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MauiPa Avatar
49 months ago

This is the main reason why I went with an SE instead of a Series 6, the main differences were the ECG which is not available in Mexico anyway, the oximeter which was considered not very accurate and a novelty and the altimeter which I'd never use. I didn't care about the always on display as I would turn it off anyways...

I hope when it's time to upgrade in two years time we finally get ECG here.
vast majority of sources say the oximeter is accurate (for the technology type, not medical diagnostic grade of course).

I just got a series 6, no more handheld ECG!. Had my first event today, detected afib, best of all you can record your symptoms at the time of event.

I would suggest you contact your regulatory bodies if you want approval for devices, you know, regulation. HAHA, like they will listen or care
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)