Apple Watches Get the Blood Oxygen Feature Back—in a Clever, Two-Device Twist
August 14, 2025 (U.S.) — Apple has officially reinstated the Blood Oxygen (SpO₂) feature for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models sold in the U.S.—thanks to a clever workaround and a favourable U.S. Customs ruling. The functionality returns today via software updates: iOS 18.6.1 for iPhones and watchOS 11.6.1 for Apple Watches.
What’s Changed—and Why It Matters
The blood oxygen sensor now captures raw data on the watch, but instead of processing it on the device, the data is transmitted and calculated on the paired iPhone. The results then appear in the Respiratory section of the iOS Health app—a clear shift from the previous all-on-watch experience.
This workaround preserves key health tracking capabilities for U.S. users, even as Apple navigates ongoing legal restrictions. The change stems from a longstanding patent dispute with Masimo, which prevailed in a ruling that led to an import ban on Apple Watches containing the feature—prompting its removal from select U.S. models in early 2024. A new U.S. Customs ruling now allows Apple to reinstate the feature—but only in this modified “two-device experience” configuration.
Who’s Affected—and Who’s Not
Affected: Users in the U.S. with Series 9, Series 10, or Ultra 2 watches sold after the import ban (post-January 2024) who didn’t previously have Blood Oxygen enabled.
Unaffected: Devices bought outside the U.S. or before the ban still retain the original functionality and won’t see changes.
What You Need to Do
1. Update your devices:
iPhone → Settings → General → Software Update → iOS 18.6.1 .
Apple Watch → Watch App → General → Software Update → watchOS 11.6.1.
2. Wait for the feature to activate:
After updating, an over-the-air asset must download (which may take up to 24 hours) before the Blood Oxygen app repurposes itself. Until then, you might still see a “Blood Oxygen app is no longer available” message.
To help speed things up, simply open the Health app on your iPhone or launch the ECG app on your Watch—either should trigger the asset download.
Why This Comes Now—and What’s Ahead
With this restored capability just ahead of Apple’s new product launches—anticipated in September 2025 (including Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3)—this move shores up one less reason for customers to postpone upgrading.
Beyond legal manoeuvring, the workaround reflects Apple’s commitment to health tools—adding to features like ECG, irregular heart rhythm alerts, sleep tracking, Fall Detection, Sleep Apnea Notifications, wrist temperature sensing, Vitals, Noise, Medications, and Mindfulness apps—all powered by watchOS 11’s ever-expanding wellness suite.
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