watchOS 7 Brings Apple Watch ECG Feature to Colombia, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates

[PickUrPoison]

Now that is a truly useful bit of info - cheers !

Thanks but credit belongs to @amssullivan28:

Apple Watch ECG Feature Receives Final Medical Approval in Japan

Could be waiting for legislation changes: https://www.tga.gov.au/therapeutic-goods-legislation-amendment-2019-measures-no1-regulations-2019https://www.tga.gov.au/therapeutic-goods-leg Even competitors like Withings, Samsung and Fitbit have yet to have TGA approval for their smart watches with...

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[Takeo Apple]

The primary market Japan where Apple dominates by a huge gap still doesn’t have ECG 🤪

i know it was finally approved but it’s still not unlocked and it’s yeeeears later than all other countries.

 

[JoshBoy]

To activate the ECG feature in Australia is pretty easy, have a look at Whirlpool or Reddit for instructions

i have been looking everywhere and can’t find. The only posts I can find say if you purchased the actually watch from a supported country first.

 

[lk400]

It’s a legit question. I mean it’s great for those in countries where it’s already available, but what potential customers really want to know is when they themselves will be able to have these features that can save lives.

I dont think they are going to get that data by asking that question here.

For the record, its not available where I am.

 

[Da_Hood]

Please share the info, I haven’t seen it.

PS re: your avatar, Mick Fleetwood and others in Fleetwood Mac were addicted to coke, not meth. Coke was everywhere in California in the late 70s/early 80s and was easy to get, and it was very high quality. Mick supposedly went though millions of dollars. This was before crack hit, they were just(!) snorting it.

Manufacture and distribution of speed was still mostly controlled by the Hells Angels throughout the 70s and not nearly as available unless you knew the right (wrong) people.

1. My bad, shorthand, should read...
"Lobbying to amend the relevant frameworks and policies precedes Watch 4 by more than a decade (source:Fin review). The fact that gov is unwilling to use Apple code to build working CoVid Safe ap tells you all you need to know about bureaucracy, therefore Tims influence on positive health outcomes in Staya. But I'm sure he sent a handwritten letter with unique emojis and all to make this happen"

At the end of the day its a "toy", it is E.C.G. "like", but not a true E.C.G. How much of the result is dependent upon software algorithms finessing the readings? What if the button is dirty or covered in sweat? What if the permittivity of the users skin prevents a true reading? How does the device calibrate itself? What condition is it in at a circuit level?. The TGA is right to deliberate this and take there time in amending the policy, whilst taking into consideration the future. sorry now I'm really talking out of my rectum .

No doubt it has the ability to save lives, but people are stupid and getting stupider, coz the stupid breed like rabbits. "I don't need to see a doctor the watch says Ima good". That is why TGA ain't rushing, and that is why I doubt policy change is instigated by Apple, because even with a review they are not guaranteed a pass.

2. Fleetwood Meth is my band. Why do you think so many bands got screwed around that time, someones gotta pay for all that blow.

 

[PickUrPoison]

1. My bad, shorthand, should read...
"Lobbying to amend the relevant frameworks and policies precedes Watch 4 by more than a decade (source:Fin review). The fact that gov is unwilling to use Apple code to build working CoVid Safe ap tells you all you need to know about bureaucracy, therefore Tims influence on positive health outcomes in Staya. But I'm sure he sent a handwritten letter with unique emojis and all to make this happen"

At the end of the day its a "toy", it is E.C.G. "like", but not a true E.C.G. How much of the result is dependent upon software algorithms finessing the readings? What if the button is dirty or covered in sweat? What if the permittivity of the users skin prevents a true reading? How does the device calibrate itself? What condition is it in at a circuit level?. The TGA is right to deliberate this and take there time in amending the policy, whilst taking into consideration the future. sorry now I'm really talking out of my rectum .

No doubt it has the ability to save lives, but people are stupid and getting stupider, coz the stupid breed like rabbits. "I don't need to see a doctor the watch says Ima good". That is why TGA ain't rushing, and that is why I doubt policy change is instigated by Apple, because even with a review they are not guaranteed a pass.

2. Fleetwood Meth is my band. Why do you think so many bands got screwed around that time, someones gotta pay for all that blow.

1) I don’t doubt for a moment that people wanted changes to the regs for a decade or more. Wanting change is different from being able to affect that change.

At the same link I posted earlier, TGA says “This is the first package of regulatory changes for the broader medical device reforms and follows a number of public consultations which occurred late 2018 through early 2019.” I’m guessing Apple may have been among those voices. Who knows; maybe not.

But you’re selling the Watch short calling the ECG a toy. Cardiologists don’t recommend toys to their patients. The Watch’s ability to identify irregularities such as a-fib, without generating many false positives, is well known. The high and low heart rate warnings have also led to life-saving diagnoses. (Sure it’s no 12-lead but it does what it does well.)

Being overly strict in approval of life saving technologies is detrimental to public health, and I’m guessing that is a major factor in the TGA’s wanting to revise their regulations.

2) oh ok well that explains that 🤣 Sorry about that! 😬 Fleetwood is one of my favorite rock drummers. Post more of your stuff! 🙂

 

[Philip_S]

I’m still angry curious what government restrictions? Why it should depend from a government? It’s just a device feature which user can use or not and make some decisions to get to a doctor for consultation.

The short answer is that Australia has strict rules against advertising medical procedures, medicines (except off-the-shelf medicines like paracetamol), and so on to the public, to prevent the kind of "ask your doctor to prescribe you our expensive drug" ad you see in America and elsewhere. Basically, Apple couldn't advertise the ECG as medically useful (which they have been) if it was sold in Australia, since their ads have global reach, so the easiest solution was not to offer that feature in Australia. The greater non-therapeutic use of former medical technologies, combined with a fairly reasonable marketing approach (emphasising getting proper medical attention if their gadgets show anything, rather than implying they are a substitute for competent advice) from the big vendors (especially Apple, though others were doing the same thing before the Apple Watch) has lead to a relaxation of that rule for gadgets.

 

[senthor]

I have been able to use ECG on my Japan-bought Apple Watch 4 under iOS 14 / watchOS 7, which came as a bit of a surprise.

I bought my Apple Watch 4 in Japan during the launch week and used it in Germany since. I have never been able to use the ECG feature, however, after upgrading to the latest OSes, I opened the Health app on my (German-bought) iPhone 8; it prompted me to set up health features, including ECG. I clicked activate, the Health app told me that the ECG app wasn't installed on my Watch, I clicked install. And – amazingly – it installed just fine, and I have been happily using it since then.

Maybe Apple changed the way devices "belong" to different countries with the latest updates?

 

[Danny Rod]

My Australian watch now in Israel has ecg working !

Titchadesh ve chag sameach