Apple to Sell Series 9 and Ultra 2 Watches Without Blood Oxygen Feature in U.S. Starting Tomorrow
Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models will be sold without the Blood Oxygen feature in the U.S. starting on January 18, according to 9to5Mac's Chance Miller, allowing Apple to avoid a sales ban on these models. On its online store in the U.S., this change will occur starting at 6 a.m. Pacific Time tomorrow.
The report says these Apple Watch models will still include the Blood Oxygen app, but when a user opens it, they will be presented with an alert saying that the app is no longer available, and directed to the Health app on the iPhone. Apple plans to share more details in a support document that will be published on its website.
Apple confirmed that the Blood Oxygen app will remain functional on previously-sold Series 9 and Ultra 2 models. The feature will also remain available on Apple Watch models sold outside the U.S., as the sales ban does not apply internationally.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) last year ordered an import and sales ban on Apple Watch models with blood oxygen sensing after ruling that Apple violated Masimo's pulse oximetry patents with the feature, first introduced on the Series 6 model in 2020. Masimo has accused Apple of stealing trade secrets and poaching employees.
The sales ban first began last month, but it was quickly paused, as Apple received an interim stay. Apple was denied a longer-term stay, however, and the ban is set to be reinstated tomorrow starting at 2 p.m. Pacific Time. In a statement, Apple said it disabled the blood oxygen sensing feature on new U.S. models to comply with the ruling and ensure that customers have access to the Apple Watch with limited disruption.
Apple's appeal is ongoing. The company said it strongly disagrees with the ITC's decision, and it feels the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit should reverse it. As a longer-term solution, Apple is reportedly working on changes to the Blood Oxygen app's algorithm in an attempt to avoid Masimo's patented technology. It's unclear when those changes will be ready, or if they will be enough for Apple to avoid patent infringement.
Popular Stories
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience.
Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay.
Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple One allows you to subscribe to up to six Apple services for one discounted monthly price. There are three Apple One tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier.
Over the last month, the highest-end Apple One Premier plan has gained two additional perks.
Here is what Apple One Premier already included, for $37.95 per month:Apple Music
Apple TV+
Apple Arcade
Apple News+
Apple Fitness+...
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for.
Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more.
While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
YouTuber iDeviceHelp on Friday posted a video that shows off mockups of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models that are purportedly based on "internal documents." We're sharing the video here since it was made in collaboration with leaker Majin Bu, who last month published similar iPhone 17 renders that were widely corroborated by separate leakers with links to Apple's Chinese supply chain....
Apple employees are internally testing iOS 18.3.2 for iPhones, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released in the next week or two.
iOS 18.3.2 will be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Don't expect any new features.
iOS 18.3.2 will be an interim...
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited.
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
Apple today released iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.2 and iOS 18.3.2 come a month after Apple released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple's release...
('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/17/apple-watch-series-9-ultra-2-without-blood-oxygen/')
