New Apple Watch Health Features Coming This Year, but Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Sensors Delayed

[MacRumors]

Apple is still planning to add body temperature monitoring and new health features to the Apple Watch this year, despite experiencing development problems with blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, in addition to multiple new features in the iPhone's Health app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple has reportedly been working on an updated sensor for the Apple Watch that is capable of determining if a user has high blood pressure, but accuracy has been an issue when testing the technology on employees. The feature is purportedly able to tell users if they may have hypertension, rather than provide specific systolic and diastolic readings. Apple is said to have been working on the feature for at least four years, but it is unlikely to be ready until 2024 at the earliest and may slip to 2025.

Apple is also working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but the feature is still believed to be several years away and the company is not yet targeting a release year. In the meanwhile, Apple has discussed improving support for third-party glucose meters on the Apple Watch and on the iPhone's Health app to help users with diabetes.

In the immediate term, Apple is working on bringing new women's health features to the Apple Watch and iPhone, as well as new sleep, fitness, and medication management features in the iPhone's Health app. The company is still planning to add a body temperature sensor to the Apple Watch this year, with the feature initially designed to aid fertility planning. Future Apple Watch models could determine if a user has a higher than normal body temperature, but it is unlikely to show an exact measurement.

As part of watchOS 9, Apple is planning to improve its existing atrial fibrillation detection feature with a new capability to measure how long a person is in a state of atrial fibrillation across a certain period. There may also be more workout types and additional metrics for running workouts in the Apple Watch's Workout app.

iOS 16 may feature improvements to the Health app that expand sleep tracking functionality, as well as add new medicine management and women's health features. Apple is said to be developing a medicine management tool to allow users to scan their pills into the Health app and remind users to take them, but the initial version that is set to launch this year is unlikely to include all of the functionality that Apple has planned.

Amid Apple's work on new health features and a number of departures on the company's health team, Gurman added that some employees have been unhappy with Apple's progress, arguing that enhancements are taking too long, not enough risks are being taken, and that the Health team has not grown in at least two years.

Article Link: New Apple Watch Health Features Coming This Year, but Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Sensors Delayed

 

[EugW]

That sounds like what Ming Chi-Kuo had said IIRC.

Apple has reportedly been working on an updated sensor for the Apple Watch capable of determining if a user has high blood pressure, but accuracy has been an issue during development and testing. The company has been conducting trials of the technology on employees, with the Apple Watch able to tell users if they may have hypertension, rather than providing specific systolic and diastolic readings. Apple is said to have been working on the feature for at least four years, but it is unlikely to be ready until 2024 at the earliest and may slip to 2025.

Apple is also working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but the feature is still believed to be several years away and the company is not yet targeting a release year.

That sounds about right. Plus, even if released years from now, it could very well be these features would only be 'wellness' features.

In the meanwhile, Apple has discussed improving support for third-party glucose meters on the Apple Watch and on the iPhone's Health app.

That sounds more reasonable.

 

[macman01101]

I would appreciate having the additional sensors even if Apple is still “testing” the feature. Would let some of us help contribute data to make it better. Kind of tired of hearing this same story every year.

 

[hpr7]

I can't wait to upgrade from the 3 series to the 8 series ?

 

[spartan1967]

Probably the 2 most important & difficult health metrics to keep in check on an Apple Watch, even for “healthy” people. I’ll wait until at least BP is on before the next investment for that generation. Hope Apple can do.

 

[schneeland]

Just out of curiosity: are there any rumours on how they actually plan to do blood pressure and glucose monitoring with the watch? Especially for blood pressure I'm not aware of anything that would fit something small like an Apple Watch.

 

[xyz369]

And please fix duplicated watches in health app.

 

[cardfan]

Just out of curiosity: are there any rumours on how they actually plan to do blood pressure and glucose monitoring with the watch? Especially for blood pressure I'm not aware of anything that would fit something small like an Apple Watch

Just another unrealistic rumor along with “fully autonomous” apple car. Blood sugar and pressure isn’t happening on Apple Watch anytime soon if ever.

 

[aquaman1992]

I can't wait to upgrade from the 3 series to the 8 series ?

Lol I'm still waiting to upgrade from my S2. Hoping this will be the year to pull the trigger.

 

[JustSomebody12]

Just out of curiosity: are there any rumours on how they actually plan to do blood pressure and glucose monitoring with the watch? Especially for blood pressure I'm not aware of anything that would fit something small like an Apple Watch.

No idea, but I suppose the metrics won't be as precise as medical instrumentation (Apple Watches' Health support sels because it's unnoticeable and not cumbersome) and a lot of machine learning will help.

 

[Howard2k]

Just out of curiosity: are there any rumours on how they actually plan to do blood pressure and glucose monitoring with the watch? Especially for blood pressure I'm not aware of anything that would fit something small like an Apple Watch.

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[randomgeeza]

And please fix dublicated watches in health app.

You mean "duplicated"

 

[Krakken]

Maybe it's because I just finished watching The Dropout about Theranos, but I appreciate Apple taking the long view and making the Apple Watch and Health app more accurate! Looking forward to the new features whenever they arrive.

 

[billnye97]

As a Tyoe 1 diabetic who uses the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor I would love if Apple helped them make it better with the Apple Watch. I really wish I didn’t need my phone with me to display readings to my watch. That integration would be pretty awesome.

 

[WWPD]

You mean "duplicated"

It's dublicated if you live in Dublin.

 

[blizaine]

Apple is also working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but the feature is still believed to be several years away and the company is not yet targeting a release year. In the meanwhile, Apple has discussed improving support for third-party glucose meters on the Apple Watch and on the iPhone's Health app to help users with diabetes.

This will be the biggest game-changer in health wearables, possibly ever. Hopefully, it is doable. How many years has this been rumored? Seems like I was hearing about it when I had my AW3 before the 4 came out. And each year, we get articles like this, saying it's not ready yet. I know that even the sensors you wear on your tricep, that have a micro-needle insertion are sometimes not as accurate as a finger prick. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to do optically. Especially with different skin tones. I know there have been proof of concepts and some vaporware claiming to do this. But man, this would be so amazing if/when they are able to pull this off.

 

[44267547]

Regardless, this is the type of features that will continue to mature the Apple Watch through a meta-Morphis entirely about being a Health device -versus- just a ‘notification extension’ of your iPhone.

What I would like to see change in the future, is the battery technology where we can achieve beyond lithium ions standards, but we’re not to that point yet.

 

[satchmo]

Amid Apple's work on new health features and a number of departures on the company's health team, Gurman added that some employees have been unhappy with Apple's progress, arguing that enhancements are taking too long, not enough risks are being taken, and that the Health team has not grown in at least two years.

It’s not only software, but hardware upgrades have been very conservative from AW4 to AW7.
Unfortunately the lack of competition has allowed Apple to take their sweet time.

Perhaps WearOS with Google and Fitbit might help move things along (I doubt it, though). Frankly, I think Garmin is the dark horse. The battery life on their watches is something Apple should strive to emulate.

 

[boston04and07]

I feel like a broken record at this point but I really hope that they won’t forget to put the Health app on the iPad and Mac this year.

 

[LlamaLarry]

As a Tyoe 1 diabetic who uses the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor I would love if Apple helped them make it better with the Apple Watch. I really wish I didn’t need my phone with me to display readings to my watch. That integration would be pretty awesome.

Definitely this. I have my G6 displaying my readings on my Fitbit using the Glance face, but would love to make the switch to AW if it could read the CGM directly instead. I will buy my first AW the second Dexcom/Apple tell me that I can finally go about my life without needing my phone.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

That Ice Man can lower and higher his blood pressure at will suggests why your blood pressure is off should be of more concern than that it is off. Pharma typically doesn't want to answer the former as the big bucks are not in fixing you, but in signing you up to a subscription. It's great that in the coming years people will know from their watch their blood pressure situation. But it would be insanely great if medicine companies actually cared about people.

 

[Tevosn]

Lol I'm still waiting to upgrade from my S2. Hoping this will be the year to pull the trigger.

I still remember getting my first Apple Watch (S2), and that it right out of the box felt sluggish and slow. Years later I upgraded to S4, which have been running perfectly till today.
I’m also looking forward to an upgrade, hopefully this year there is something that justifies it.

 

[BuffaloTF]

The non-invasive glucose monitoring would be huge. I wonder if they’re worried about accuracy, as between CGM and your standard lance monitors, you can expect to be accurate within ~10% of what a true blood draw would reveal. If it hits in the 15% range, I’d be blown away and maybe do a poke once a day to calibrate myself.

 

[Xand&Roby]

So we can delay the upgrade again (and again).
I’m ok with that but I don’t care about AOD or other “features”: a wearable health device need to be centered on health, and from Watch4 get only refinements, evolutions of same sensors, not a serious improvement.
We can delay to buy it, Apple need to be more focused on hardware and meanwhile in software quality.

 

[Xand&Roby]

I still remember getting my first Apple Watch (S2), and that it right out of the box felt sluggish and slow. Years later I upgraded to S4, which have been running perfectly till today.
I’m also looking forward to an upgrade, hopefully this year there is something that justifies it.

I still use my 4 and new watches 2 (ceramic and SSSB), 2 gen is better than I could imagine, are good enough, better than the 3 gen that Apple still sell from 2017.