Apple and Masimo are at loggerheads. First, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models were removed from sale in the US following Masimo’s complaint. Apple Watch models, which were also banned from import, were eventually resold without the ability to count blood oxygen levels. Masimo, who filed and won the lawsuit, made a new claim.
Doesn’t the Apple Watch blood oxygen level counting feature work?
Masimo CEO Joe Kiani made statements that will anger Apple for the Apple Watch blood oxygen counting feature. Kiani argues that the feature is unreliable and useless.
Masimo has important patents, especially in medical device development. The company, which also develops smartwatches in this sense, has smartwatches that can precisely measure blood oxygen levels. CEO Kiani thinks that Apple Watch does not use this feature precisely.
According to Kiani, Apple Watch smartwatches do not use the blood oxygen level counting sensor continuously. In this sense, the CEO says that in order to accurately determine the oxygen level in the blood, this level should be measured continuously. Since occasional measurements are not healthy, he finds it right to remove this feature from Apple Watch models.
Apple, on the other hand, responded harshly to this claim in a statement. According to the company, this feature in Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8 and 9 is a life saver. In fact, we have witnessed many times that this feature saves lives in Apple Watch models. Low oxygen levels in the blood are a harbinger of many diseases. In this sense, Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8 and 9 users can consult a doctor according to these levels.
Oxygen levels below 80 in the blood can prevent the proper functioning of the brain, internal organs and respiratory tract. Meanwhile, Apple has details on its own page about the Apple Watch blood oxygen counting feature that justifies Masimo. Accordingly, Apple Watch watches actually measure this level occasionally. Masimo, on the other hand, is of the opinion that Apple does not have medical accuracy in this sense.
The oxygen level measurement feature that comes with the Apple Watch Series 6 is among the key features of the smartwatch series. However, Masimo took Apple to court on the grounds that it imitated their own feature of counting blood oxygen levels and infringed the patent.
After a long trial, the court found Masimo right in this case. After US President Joe Biden approved the decision, sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models stopped. After the export ban on these models, Apple removed this feature from the watches.