Electrocardiogram Functionality in New Apple Watch Series 4 Models Limited to US, Coming Later This Year

[vintagekeys]

S4 looks, but my concerns are as follows and have to find out when the final product reviews start to trickle in:

100 dollar price hike for both new models... that`s very steep for a apple device that loses it`s retention value much much harder then any other apple product, and is a device that you want to upgrade every 1/2 year because its still heavily under development in my opinion.

Honestly a bit of a deal breaker to me for sure, i might wait another year for the S5.

the 44mm version better has a better battery life as its bigger then the current S3 42mm series, if it does not then there is no reason for me to get the 44mm version for me at all. bigger screen is not my priority, extra bits of battery life are. The website actually shows the same battery life as the 40mm version... i am baffled beside the larger screen there seems to be no battery life improvement none USA residents basically paying 50 USD or so more for a feature we are not allowed to use.... Apple C`mon man...

I hope the ceramic bottom helps the LTE signal because on the S3 its relatively spotty if you do not have your phone with you but want to stay available for calls (i am weird, but i use my AW like that)

Nothing about a higher DPI, i might have missed it though (yes resolution has a hike due screen size update)

EGD is the only big new feature together with the new screen sizes, since that is only going to be live in the USA the rest of the world cant use it making this one of 2 big features useless.. making the overall upgrade from S3 to S4 very marginal for most people in the world, basically a bigger screen for 100 USD more.

Also i cannot help to strongly feel they intentially make this a hike model between the S3 and the S5, i think they nailed a much better with smaller bezel already for the S5, i strongly feel this is a in between model that is just not so good like the ipad air the first one with rentina screen, the version after that was sooo much better..

 

[wbrat]

Well, another country limited feature. Sad...

I’m still tempted to switch from my S2 though. Bigger screen, thinner, faster CPU (this is really needed sometimes). And if I’m correct, S4 has more of internal storage. If true, this is also very welcomed feature for non-LTE model (no LTE support in my country yet).

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Does this mean that it it limited to watches sold in the USA? or is there some region restriction? I'm in India and am wondering if getting an AW from the USA will get me the ECG feature or not.

As it comes as a download I assume it is tethered to your iTunes account

 

[DrEvil152]

• Kardia/Alivecor has had an Apple hardware and app to read ECG withe upload to physician for over 2 years. My cardiologist was impressed with it when I showed him years ago. Quite impressive as I can read ECGs and are very accurate.

Apple Watch Series 4 models include an electrical heart rate sensor that's designed to take an electrocardiogram (ECG) using an ECG app, the built-in sensor, and the electrodes included in the Digital Crown, but the ECG functionality won't be coming until later this year.

According to Apple's Apple Watch Series 4 website, the ECG app that will enable the electrocardiogram feature will be available later in 2018. That means at launch, the ECG feature won't be functional.

As several MacRumors readers have pointed out, it appears ECG readings are going to be limited to Apple Watch models sold in the United States. Apple Watch Series 4 pages for countries like the UK and Canada contain no mention of the feature, and Apple's press release for Series 4 models says ECG functionality is U.S. only.

To take an ECG reading from the Apple Watch, users will need to place a finger on the Digital Crown while wearing the watch. The reading is completed in just 30 seconds, allowing users to determine whether their hearts are beating in a regular pattern or if there are signs of atrial fibrillation, which can be an indicator of serious health problems.

Atrial fibrillation is a health condition that often goes undiagnosed, so the ECG feature in the Apple Watch will be highly useful for detecting early signs of disease. ECG readings also normally require a full ECG machine and a visit to the doctor, which is far less convenient than a reading taken with the Apple Watch.

Apple says that the ECG feature in the Apple Watch has been granted a De Novo classification by the FDA as outlined on the FDA's website [PDF], and the need for regulatory approval is likely why the ECG feature is not available in other countries.

De Novo FDA approval is a preliminary approval process granted to new devices that are not likely to cause harm. According to the FDA, the Apple Watch's ECG feature should be used only for informational purposes, should only be used by those over 22 years of age, and is not recommended for people with known arrhythmias.Apple has also obtained FDA approval for the feature in the Apple Watch Series 4 models that sends notifications when an irregular heart rhythm is detected through the ECG feature or through standard Apple Watch heart rate monitoring.

All ECG data gathered by Apple Watch Series 4 models is stored in the Health app in a PDF format that can easily be shared with physicians.

Article Link: Electrocardiogram Functionality in New Apple Watch Series 4 Models Limited to US, Coming Later This Year

 

[Jeaz]

As someone who's been working with developing solutions for eHealth, this type of functionality would most likely classify it as a medical device in EU, and a medical device has much stronger regulations around it regarding reliability. Granted, it has been approved by the FDA which means it's more likely to be approved here, but it's still a very lengthy process, and the rules also differ between countries within the EU.
So not surprised it's not available on launch, especially since it's a first of its kind.

 

[apolloa]

Wwoooooooooooaaaaahhhhhhh

Hang on Apple!! You charge £400 for this thing in the U.K. and we can’t wven use one of the MAIN features of it??

They kept that one quiet on stage didn’t they, they better at least fit the hardware for it for that cost but this is Apple and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is all they care about.

I mean you will be buying a broken device IMO from factory, if the feature cannot be used outside the US the price should damn well be lowered to reflect it, not increased!!

 

[tripkip]

Belgian Apple Watch page does mention "eletrical heart rate monitor" with an image indicating the crown and a sensor on the bottom as measure points. The optical heart rate sensor is shown seperately.
https://www.apple.com/benl/watch/compare/

 

[calstanford]

Considering I trust Apple exactly zero since the AirPower announcements I’d guess ECG will actually come out in the Apple Watch 6 or 7 in 2021

 

[Tech198]

ah, so this will be another U.S only thing at the start.. Very similar to Apple Pay roll-out this would go in the same direction.

Wwoooooooooooaaaaahhhhhhh

Hang on Apple!! You charge £400 for this thing in the U.K. and we can’t wven use one of the MAIN features of it??

They kept that one quiet on stage didn’t they, they better at least fit the hardware for it for that cost but this is Apple and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is all they care about.

I mean you will be buying a broken device IMO from factory, if the feature cannot be used outside the US the price should damn well be lowered to reflect it, not increased!!

...But its "upcoming".... No point in finishing this off, but waiting till next update of the Apple watch to incorporate it.. You'd be waiting even longer.

They should have mentioned that in the keynote as well, since many would get disappointed its only limited to U.S. Apple do know how to market things well

 

[someone28624]

I hope everyone knows this is pretty much worthless for 99% of users. Why don't we ALL get EKGs every day or every time we go to the doctor? because there's no reason to and it would lead to false positive diagnoses with harm caused to patients. "Should not be used for patients with known arrythmias." So this is basically for an extremely small subset of buyers who have some kind of coronary artery disease or heart pathology that makes them susceptible to possibly developing A-fib.

A lot of people haven't been to a doctor in years and may discover something that will prompt them to go see one.

For me, I'm excited for this because I've been getting palpitations for years, sometimes lasting several seconds and coming with some light-headedness. Halter study just showed PVCs and PACs. It will be interesting to see what's happening during those episodes.
[doublepost=1536820966][/doublepost]

"The ECG app is not intended for use by people under 22 years old."

WHY?

Interpretation of EKGs considers the persons age. I'm guessing this has something to do with their auto-interpretation algorithm for the FDA.

 

[felixen]

Will it not be added in the hardware outside of the US or is it only the software that doesn’t enable it?

 

[StyxMaker]

Considering I trust Apple exactly zero since the AirPower announcements I’d guess ECG will actually come out in the Apple Watch 6 or 7 in 2021

I seriously doubt they would have gone to the expense of building the necessary hardware for this feature if the software wasn’t going to be released soon.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

Limited to US??? Why??? This is an ESSENTIAL and sensible feature!! As someone who suffers from SVT arrhythmia this is the reason that tipped me over to buying another Apple Watch. This is utter bullsh*t.

reading your post , its kind of easy to explain in a spiritual way - why you suffer!
i would suggest - dont get an apple watch - get something nice in you life - an animal or some beautiful plants - or just reagular time in the forest!

 

[-Maxim-]

Will it not be added in the hardware outside of the US or is it only the software that doesn’t enable it?

This is exactly what I am wondering right now. Is this limitation on the software side or on the hardware side?
Meaning: If I purchase the watch in the EU and it will be released in the EU next year - will the ECG be activated via software update or do I need to purchase a new watch / wait for series 5?

If it's locked from the software side / region setting: can I just change my region to the US and use this feature? (Similar to ApplePay).

 

[bluecoast]

The clash of cultures between Silicon Valley (launch first, fix later)...

...And health regulators (years of testing and this absolutely has to be rock solid or we remove your license to operate this product/feature)...

Is going to be interesting.

I wonder if it will finally force companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google etc to greatly prioritise stability over features and slow down the ‘features’ arms race?

 

[Sir Ruben]

Being an X owner I was only interested in the new Apple Watch and I liked what I saw! Then I started to browse the prices and configurations and I was a little less enthused, but upon hearing that one of its big new technologies (ECG), and no doubt a contributor to the price, will not be available in the UK? Purchase averted, I'll stick with my Series 2 for another year. If you are outside the US and are on the fence, look at it this way: Even if it does come to your country, by then the series 5 will either be due soon or already out.

 

[Pennypacker83]

No ECG in Europe, well that just gives me another reason not to upgrade! Also makes the significant price increase less justifiable.

 

[giebe]

Is anything available at launch anymore? Dual-sim nope, AirPlay 2 nope, AirPower what’s that, ECG naw, Apple Pay cash no sir, portrait mode beta. Apple has developed a bad habit it seems.

You know, it's even worse when you are not living in US. New features take years after announcement to roll out. Still waiting for Apple Pay, ECG may take forever too, TV App still not as good as in US. I will skip Watch 4, just because I know it will probably take longer to approve ECG here too, so Watch 5 is in the game now.

 

[Rub3n NL]

Is anything available at launch anymore? Dual-sim nope, AirPlay 2 nope, AirPower what’s that, ECG naw, Apple Pay cash no sir, portrait mode beta. Apple has developed a bad habit it seems.

Well. In the Netherlands that list is even longer!
HomePod? Nope. Apple pay? Nope. Apple Watch 4g?

 

[iLoveDeveloping]

Can anyone answer this, why 22 and older? Does it harm 21 year olds? (Usually 22 and under don’t get afib I get that but surely it’s not much of an issue to use it is it?)
Secondly, why shouldn’t someone with previous afib use it? Isn’t that exactly what it’s for to check for that? I’m not trying to be sacastic but serisouly? Does it send an electrical signal around your body that could cause an issue or is it just passively reading your bodies electrical signal? So many questions, and in recent years Apple is becoming more and more vague about its products and how to use them, heck they don’t even tell you all the features anymore. It’s insane..

 

[recoil80]

ECG is really cool but I wonder when it will be available in my country.
LTE is coming after an year, if I have to wait that much I may very well skip series 4 and wait for next fall to get an improved version. On the other hand series 4 seems like the 5s, first iPhone to have 64bit and still supported after 5 years. Maybe series 4 will have a similar long time support and is a good time to switch. I'll see how watchOS works on my series 1, battery life is still OK but not great as 1 year ago when I upgraded do watchOS 4 and if the heart beat sensor is better, even without ECG, is still a good start

 

[Stiii]

Im on series 0, so think it is time for me to upgrade, WatchOS 5 wont be released either for 1gen.

 

[recoil80]

I don't think many doctors will love this feature. Imagine the quantity of patients getting to the doctor's office or ER for no serious reason. Like people who suffer from anxiety and panic disorder usually have their resting heart rate easily triggered, people who are overweight/obese do have a higher resting heart rate too, and very fit people will often have resting heart rates that fall into the bradycardia category - it's not like they have a heart condition, it's their "normal" physiology. Most adults also experience ectopic heartbeats that are harmless and might increase after taking caffeine or other heart stimulants (including certain medications). Now imagine the watch notifying you every time your heart skips a beat or pounds an extra one. A lot of people will probably overreact and think they have a serious condition or are about to die when actually it is normal. Honestly I don't think this is the best thing.

I get your point, my aunt has been working on ER for 20 years and she told me a lot of people come for no serious reasons. That's a shame because they need to pay attention to anybody and waste a lot of time, so more people on ER isn't good at all.
I think Apple Watch could be great if it was able to prevent heart disease from the very beginning, not when you're having a stroke. If AW detects something wrong with your beat for a few days in a row maybe is time to call your doctor for an appointment, not rushing to the ER but just have a piece of mind that something may be wrong and is would be wise to check with a doctor.
Even a google search can be misleading these days, you feel something, check the symptoms online and get scared and maybe you have nothing.

 

[wiimixer]

Even a google search can be misleading these days

Whaaa, since when?

 

[makr]

I hope everyone knows this is pretty much worthless for 99% of users. Why don't we ALL get EKGs every day or every time we go to the doctor? because there's no reason to and it would lead to false positive diagnoses with harm caused to patients. "Should not be used for patients with known arrythmias." So this is basically for an extremely small subset of buyers who have some kind of coronary artery disease or heart pathology that makes them susceptible to possibly developing A-fib.

It's fine, those who can benefit this feature may have their life saved. It's amazing. If you don't like/need it simply don't use it.