The FDA approved sleep apnea detection for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Watch Ultra 2. This groundbreaking approval arrives just four days before the Apple Watch Series 10 hits the market on September 20.
Unveiled at last week’s iPhone 16 event, the sleep apnea detection feature will roll out with the upcoming watchOS 11. Once users enable it, the feature requires 10 nights of sleep tracking data within a 30-day period. This data helps determine if a user risks having sleep apnea.
During this period, the Apple Watch offers insights into nightly sleeping disturbances. It utilizes its on-board accelerometer to monitor movements and potential disruptions. The FDA classifies this feature as an “over-the-counter device to assess risk of sleep apnea.”
Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Watch SE 3 will be introduced in 2025. Breaking with the norm, the company stopped announcing new models every year.
Seek a formal diagnosis from a healthcare provider
Apple emphasizes that this tool is not a diagnostic device. If it identifies risks, it prompts users to seek a formal diagnosis from a healthcare provider. Sleep apnea causes breathing to become shallow or stop repeatedly during sleep. It leads to symptoms like insomnia, headaches, daytime sleepiness, and other long-term health issues.
Apple is not the first to offer sleep apnea detection in consumer electronics. Withings has included this feature in its devices for some time. Earlier this year, Samsung received FDA approval for sleep apnea detection in its Galaxy Watch line.
This new feature arrives as Apple faces challenges with another health-related function. Apple disabled blood oxygen detection on Apple Watches in the U.S. due to an ongoing patent dispute.
