Apple Watch Series 6 to Feature Blood Oxygen Monitoring Sensor

[TVreporter]

Been holding off on the watch... but this might finally convince me.

Our wallets are going to be screaming this fall with all the new products coming out! I got iphone and Apple TV on my list already!

 

[jicon]

If they add blood sugar monitoring somehow then the Apple Watch is the device to get.

I don't see this happening for a very long time. Interstitial sugar monitors (Libre, Dexcom) need a sensor under the skin, in fat, and changed every 10-14 days. The results will flare wildly from first insertion when they are wildly inaccurate, to a few weeks down the line, when their accuracy will go again. So, though today it is a handy tech, there's a lot of tech research that needed to go in to a medical device that tends to fray in to the outer fringes of accuracy compared to actual blood sugar... within 20% accuracy.

An optical sensor that can do it? It would definitely really be something. It may also take many years of testing/approval through government bodies.

With all that said, as someone who really benefits from this data, I have it working on an AW3 with Dexcom. Fresh result every 5 minutes on the watch face, and it's changed my treatment, eating habits, exercise habits with such an easy way to check where things are at. Just need $4000 a year for Dexcom, and a few apps on the phone.

 

[Killbill2]

Every time someone his 94%, they will rush off to the doctor thinking they have the virus.

Yes its always better to not test because if you do have it it will come back positive. 😏

 

[consumerDan]

I wonder what blood oxygen level will look like if you try to exercise with a mask on with a Series 6...

 

[Sasparilla]

Nice. Looking forward to a CPU update and extra functionality, although as another commenter mentioned this is digitimes.

 

[bobob]

I wonder what blood oxygen level will look like if you try to exercise with a mask on with a Series 6...

UK doctor ran 22 miles with face mask to debunk this myth

 

[Rogifan]

Blood sugar measurement is a much harder nut to crack. Currently there's no way to do it without a skin penetrating electrode. Whoever comes up with a non-invasive method will make billions.

Dexcom seems to be coming close. I wonder if this is something Apple is working on. So far none of their Watch features require FDA approval (class III). The ECG feature is considered a class II product which means it isn’t considered to have as much risk. It received FDA clearance. I think a big growth area for the company could be to get further into health tech. A big thing right now is continuous health monitoring. I’d actually rather see Apple work on health wearables than a VR headset.

 

[shamino]

I would love to know how this can work. As far as I know, O2 meters work by transmitting light through your skin (typically a fingertip or earlobe) to a receiver on the other side. That's clearly not possible for a device on your wrist - even if there is a sensor in the band, your wrist is very thick and has bones, which will block nearly all of the light.

Clearly there is a way to measure this using reflected light, but I've never heard of it before. Does anyone have a link to how that might work?

If they add blood sugar monitoring somehow then the Apple Watch is the device to get.

If anyone can figure out how to measure this (accurately) without drawing blood, it will revolutionize the entire glucose monitoring industry.

 

[bluespark]

Wait, does that mean sleep monitoring feature will be removed from all apple watches except series 6?

Of course not. Adding a new feature on a new model doesn't mean an old model loses a feature.

 

[Killbill2]

On Australia missing out on features. I just looked at the ARTG web site and it clearly states that:
"Search results from the ARTG include Consumer Medicines Information (CMI), Product Information (PI) and Public Summary documents. Not all CMI and PI documents are available on this website."

Not sure that ARTG site really lists applications in process, seems like only approvals In exploring he site a little more it doesn't seem like the agency ignores other countries decisions or is out on the norm in its process. We really are in the dark of why Apple hasn't yet brought the capability to Australia. I could not find any listing for Withings or Fit-Bit but Masimo is certainly returns results. I'm thinking that Apple is not yet ready to undertake the process or is in the process in some unique way as it is a consumer facing vendor.

 

[bobob]

We really are in the dark of why Apple hasn't yet brought the capability to Australia.

Perhaps they hate money (or Australians).

 

[Akrapovic]

ECG rollout is a medical regulatory approval thing. It's technically a medical device, so has to go through a lot of red tape in every country.

 

[LeadingHeat]

If they keep the same compatibility with the existing watch bands, that will be a huge feat. All the way from the original Apple Watch keeping the same design? That’s very very user friendly.

 

[consumerDan]

UK doctor ran 22 miles with face mask to debunk this myth

I haven't seen this article so that's interesting. I just find that it feels better to take the mask off when exiting a store, but if it doesn't really restrict oxygen, then that is good.

 

[DogHouseDub]

I bought the O2Ring for sleep monitoring (sleep apnea). It's been a nice piece of hardware for ~$180. O2, HR, and movement with vibrating alarm for O2 drops. New reading every 4 seconds. Whether it is clinically accurate or not, it's doing a good job picking up O2 drops through the night.

Unfortunately, Health app can't import data at that granularity - data is averaged based on 30 second chunks. The displayed version is even coarser - 1 hour intervals. Not useful for much of anything, really.

​

If AW6 measures O2, it will be interesting to see how frequent measurements occur and the impact on battery life.

 

[ripsaw650]

If this is exclusive to the S6 I will be upgrading my S4... If not I’ll probably go with a discounted S5 SS Silver.

 

[Akrapovic]

I haven't seen this article so that's interesting. I just find that it feels better to take the mask off when exiting a store, but if it doesn't really restrict oxygen, then that is good.

It does feel better not to wear a mask, of course. But surgeons preform 15 hour operations wearing these masks. They don't die at the end of them. We also wear things like motor cycle helmets and scarfs over faces and people don't die. Because it doesn't restrict breathing or oxygen levels. All we're doing is trying to limit the airflow out so it doesn't spread in front of people.

 

[Zealist]

This is not an Apple issue, it is an Australian Government Department of Health issue - - lobby them for access to Apple Watch health features.

Incorrect, and I'm not even sure why you posted that link. Please research before you post.

To be released it needs to be approved by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration). I have directly spoken to them and Apple has not even submitted an application for approval.

 

[Zealist]

We’ll get ecg on Apple Watch series 9

We'll get it when Apple submits to the Therapeutic Goods Administration ... which they have not yet done.

 

[Zealist]

On Australia missing out on features. I just looked at the ARTG web site and it clearly states that:
"Search results from the ARTG include Consumer Medicines Information (CMI), Product Information (PI) and Public Summary documents. Not all CMI and PI documents are available on this website."

Not sure that ARTG site really lists applications in process, seems like only approvals In exploring he site a little more it doesn't seem like the agency ignores other countries decisions or is out on the norm in its process. We really are in the dark of why Apple hasn't yet brought the capability to Australia. I could not find any listing for Withings or Fit-Bit but Masimo is certainly returns results. I'm thinking that Apple is not yet ready to undertake the process or is in the process in some unique way as it is a consumer facing vendor.

Yes, I have confirmed Apple has not applied.

 

[TiggrToo]

I have directly spoken to them and Apple has not even submitted an application for approval.

Well, if YOU have done that then it must be true...🙄

smh

 

[bossmanjunior]

Anyone know if blood oxygen monitoring can be used to make workout tracking more accurate? I’ve found that an Apple Watch is essentially worthless for strength training workouts (it just guesses an average calorie burn), and “walking workouts” end up burning about the same as a strenuous hour long strength training session. It’s clearly very inaccurate at tracking anything but heart rate. Could O2 sensing make this more accurate?

 

[Shirasaki]

Of course not. Adding a new feature on a new model doesn't mean an old model loses a feature.

Apple has the track record of intentionally holding back new features for older devices for no apparent reason, hence why I am afraid.

 

[falainber]

I would love to know how this can work. As far as I know, O2 meters work by transmitting light through your skin (typically a fingertip or earlobe) to a receiver on the other side. That's clearly not possible for a device on your wrist - even if there is a sensor in the band, your wrist is very thick and has bones, which will block nearly all of the light.

Clearly there is a way to measure this using reflected light, but I've never heard of it before. Does anyone have a link to how that might work?


If anyone can figure out how to measure this (accurately) without drawing blood, it will revolutionize the entire glucose monitoring industry.

Samsung Galaxy Note phones have had this feature for many years. They use fingertip but without light through. I have one and it works. Perhaps AW will have similar sensor which will require the user to touch a sensor with a fingertip (i.e. no constant monitoring)

 

[semka]

Apple has the track record of intentionally holding back new features for older devices for no apparent reason, hence why I am afraid.

Yes, and they didn't mention O2 measuring in the preview of the new version of WatchOS. That pretty much means they are going to sell the new watch claiming only that will have the necessary hardware. I don't foresee any other compelling features, beside may be slightly improved battery life that would sell people on AWS6.