How Apple Watch Series 8's Body Temperature Feature Is Expected to Work

[kenny7]

Most accurate body temp is measured rectally, so I expect accessory dongles for the new Apple Watch.

Tim: The dongle goes up your ass and we think you're gonna love it

 

[hans1972]

If they do anything with the body temperature sensor, it'll be more than the Samsung Galaxy Watch5/Watch5 Pro, which also includes a body temperature sensor. On the Watch5, it currently has no purpose. The only thing Samsung says about it is that they're working with other companies to use it, but it's useless right out of the box.

How can it be a body temperature sensor when it doesn't measure anything?

 

[Shanghaichica]

So the primary use is limited to around half of the population at launch and potentially new headlining usage later?

From an upgrade perspective, it’s probably wiser to go with a series 7 if once doesn’t have it than an 8 at this point? What else does the Series 8 offer?

The only feature I was remotely interested in was the temperature sensor. Although I am a women, I’ve already passed the stage in life were I’m interested in fertility planing. Im glad I went with the series 7 now as an upgrade to my series 6. The pro is too big and too expensive.

 

[ct2k7]

The only feature I was remotely interested in was the temperature sensor. Although I am a women, I’ve already passed the stage in life were I’m interested in fertility planing. Im glad I went with the series 7 now as an upgrade to my series 6. The pro is too big and too expensive.

I was looking at the pro, and well, I’m on 157cm/5’2” and don’t have the biggest wrist. I found the 45mm S7 to be barely fitting my wrist. A bigger watch is not what I want and it seems a shame that they’d tie premium materials to size, but it’s Apple so I guess I have to settle. I’m happy to pay for a watch that I’ll use for years, but the product has awful resale value and to me, doesn’t command the brand power compared to something such as a Breitling.

 

[The Mercurian]

This isn't new tech folks. Garmin, Fitbit, Whoop, and others have had it for years. You can NOT determine internal body temp from skin temp, there are too many variables... temp of the room, temp when you are outdoors etc. which all affects the temp of your skin. What these devices usually do is measure skin temp AT NIGHT when you appear to be sleeping because that tends to be most consistent night to night (but still varies if your room temp varies). It uses this data to pretty good effect for fertility and cycle planning for women and also to alert to POSSIBLE fevers. It's surprisingly accurate for these two things on other devices and I imagine it will be for Apple too. I suspect since many don't wear their Apple Watch to bed that Apple has tried to make this all work with many measurements taken throughout the day which makes the whole thing more difficult but I'm sure they have all kinds of machine learning and algorithms that will make it possible.

Rockley tech is new: https://rockleyphotonics.com/wp-con...ased-Measurement-of-Core-Body-Temperature.pdf (page 17 if you don't have time)

 

[stockseer]

Rockley Photonics now has important relationships with CalTech and also Medtronic. So as the shares get crushed here; I can't help but ponder if it's a buy for gamblers; since they obviously learned their lesson from SPAC and other dilutive financing you'd think. I realize the shares are a mess for early investors; but here it's likely a decent bet and of course will jump if it's revealed to be the circuit guts in Apple Watch 8 (glucose will be the killer app; but that's not ready).

 

[stockseer]

Rockley tech is new: https://rockleyphotonics.com/wp-con...ased-Measurement-of-Core-Body-Temperature.pdf (page 17 if you don't have time)

Yes; good summary of this feature; thanks for reminding us. So much focus on Apple; which uses Rockley; but also so do the competitors, and coming-up.. new Medtronic gear.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Just put your hand on your forehead to check for a fever like your Mom used to do. 😉 I think a glucose monitor would be a more worthy upgrade. But that doesn’t look like it’ll happen for awhile. I won’t be upgrading my Apple Watch 6 anytime soon. i’m very active, and It does everything I need or want In a health watch.

Probably could actually get a more accurate reading by taking the watch off and pressing it against your forehead. Somehow I don’t see Apple marketing getting away with that.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Body temperature sensing is a no brainer with the AirPods. A dirt cheap IR sensor can nab tympanic membrane temperature or even just ear canal readings very easily. You just need to connect them to the watch or iPhone through software via existing wireless connections. It nuts to think you can get accurate core body temperatures from a wrist worn sensor.

The temperature sensor in AirPods pro sounds like, if they can cram the hardware in there, the logical way to do it. Seems like the rumors say that’s not happening this year unfortunately. It would probably also prohibit using custom eartips.

 

[DeezMacs]

Tim: The dongle goes up your ass and we think you're gonna love it

It’s the best anal dongle we’ve ever made

 

[vijaymisir]

Body temperature sensing technology is believed to be the headline upgrade offered by the Apple Watch Series 8 when it debuts at Apple's "Far out" event next week. Thanks to a variety of reports from reliable sources, we have a fairly good idea of how the body temperature health features are expected to work.

The Apple Watch Series 6's rear sensor array that introduced blood-oxygen sensing.​

Body temperature monitoring for the Apple Watch has long been rumored by sources like Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, but over the past year rumors have crystalized around the feature finally debuting on the Apple Watch Series 8 later this year. Contrary to the hopes of some observers hoping to be able to check their body temperature or get notifications if they have a fever, it looks like the feature may be significantly more limited at launch.

Reports from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman state that the body temperature sensor is primarily designed to aid fertility planning, giving women insights into their ovulation cycle, and could be used to improve the detection of patterns when tracking sleep. Apple significantly bolstered the Apple Watch's sleep tracking capabilities in watchOS 9, so further improvements in this area aided by hardware this year seem plausible.

MacRumors Apple Watch concept depicting exact body temperature reading capabilities, a feature that is unlikely to be present on the Apple Watch Series 8.​

Apple is also said to have plans to enable the body temperature sensor to detect when a user has a fever, but it seems unlikely that this feature will be available upon the launch of the Apple Watch Series 8. Gurman believes that further in the future, Apple Watch models could determine if a user has a higher than normal body temperature, but it is still unlikely to show an exact measurement. All in all, this suggests that the body temperature sensor that comes with the Apple Watch Series 8 may not be quite what some users have come to expect.

According to Kuo, Apple originally intended to offer a body temperature measurement feature with the ‌Apple Watch Series 7‌ models, but the company shelved the plans when the body temperature algorithm it had developed failed to meet requirements before the device entered the engineering validation testing (EVT) phase last year.

The problems Apple has experienced relating to body temperature measurement purportedly relate to the fact that skin temperature quickly varies based on the environment, and since a smartwatch cannot monitor core body temperature using hardware, the feature is heavily dependent on an algorithm that produces accurate results. This likely explains why the body temperature sensing capabilities of the Apple Watch may be limited when the Series 8 launches later this year.

Last month, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a patent for a temperature sensing system conspicuously related to the Apple Watch, including a "high-precision and high-accuracy absolute temperature sensor." Apple's patent protects an electronic device housing that encloses a temperature sensing system comprising a temperature sensor and a differential temperature probe.

Illustration from Apple's "Temperature gradient sensing in electronic devices" patent filing.​

The system works by calculating the difference between two ends of a probe. One end touches the surface to be measured, while the other is connected to a temperature sensor. The voltage delta across the different ends of the probe can then be correlated to a differential temperature measurement.

It is not clear if the exact technology outlined in the patent is related to the body temperature sensor that is expected to be used in the Apple Watch Series 8. It is also possible that Apple plans to use a proprietary system from Rockley Photonics, a British health technology startup that has created a sensor system designed for wearable devices that includes a core body temperature sensor.

Rockley Photonics' advanced digital sensor system.​

Last year, it was revealed that Apple is the largest customer of Rockley Photonics. Rockley's financial filings said that Apple accounted for the majority of its revenue over the last two years and that it has an ongoing "supply and development agreement" with the company, under which it expects to continue to heavily rely on Apple for most of its revenue. Rockley previously said that it expects its technology to be used in consumer smartwatches in 2022, which could align to the launch of the Apple Watch Series 8.

Beyond a body temperature sensor, the Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to feature the S8 chip and a Low Power Mode to prolong battery life. The device is highly likely to be unveiled at Apple's event on Wednesday, September 7.

Article Link: How Apple Watch Series 8's Body Temperature Feature Is Expected to Work

SO there's really nothing new with this new watch. I'll still wait and see but I'm heavily leaning towards buying the series 7 on sale. A battery bump would easily make me buy the 8 though that isn't rumored.

 

[ponzicoinbro]

The ad will have the song Fever.

Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever,
When you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever
In the mornin', a fever all through the night

 

[ProfessionalFan]

SO there's really nothing new with this new watch.

If you want to ignore the new stuff, I guess nothing is new.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I was looking at the pro, and well, I’m on 157cm/5’2” and don’t have the biggest wrist. I found the 45mm S7 to be barely fitting my wrist. A bigger watch is not what I want and it seems a shame that they’d tie premium materials to size, but it’s Apple so I guess I have to settle. I’m happy to pay for a watch that I’ll use for years, but the product has awful resale value and to me, doesn’t command the brand power compared to something such as a Breitling.

If I felt the feature set was worth the money I might be able to justify it but the size alone is an automatic bar. The 41 mm Apple is about as big as I can go. I have very small wrists.

 

[twocents]

Most accurate body temp is measured rectally, so I expect accessory dongles for the new Apple Watch.

interested only if theres an apple silicon based lubricant

 

[MAlbi]

Its good business, but still fragile, scratch not resistant and well battery. Enjoy if you buy or have one. Ill keep on waiting.

 

[doboy]

This is probably one of the least useful feature on the watch. I guess it could be useful for those looking to get pregnant.

 

[sahajesh]

interested only if theres an apple silicon based lubricant

And a special cleaning cloth for the dongle.

 

[tresmith]

I think this first version of the body temperature feature is basically a beta test. Once on sale and in the hands of millions of testers it will make subsequent versions of the hardware/algorithm much better.

 

[svish]

Will be great if a new sensor gets added to the Apple watch!

 

[kave]

Lets hope it can be used to measure temp in water when swimming. Loved that feature on my Garmins

 

[_Spinn_]

Sounds like most people are going to be disappointed by this feature

 

[Stuart in Oz]

Most accurate body temp is measured rectally, so I expect accessory dongles for the new Apple Watch.

Will it be able to be switched to silent vibrating mode?

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Sounds like most people are going to be disappointed by this feature

The Apple social media/forum/reddit members don't represent most Apple customers. They represent a very small subset in reality and a good majority of these members spend most of their time complaining about the products.

 

[Howard2k]

SO there's really nothing new with this new watch. I'll still wait and see but I'm heavily leaning towards buying the series 7 on sale. A battery bump would easily make me buy the 8 though that isn't rumored.

It’s the S0 labelled as the S8.