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- Apple’s hypertension detection received FDA approval on Thursday.
- The feature does not monitor blood pressure.
- This tells users whether hypertension is present or not.
Apple’s potential hypertension detection feature, unveiled earlier this week, received FDA clearance on Thursday. This is the third FDA-cleared health feature the tech giant has received.
FDA clearance
The feature tracks a user’s blood pressure over a 30-day period and uses the watch’s PPG signal to measure blood volume. After 30 days, it provides a score indicating whether a person’s blood pressure is above or below the hypertension threshold.
Also: The next Apple Watch could have a feature that transforms healthcare
If so, Apple recommends that users consult a doctor to review the data collected. A doctor might recommend that a user with high blood pressure take a daily reading with a traditional wristband, which Apple Watch users can also log in to the hypertension feature.
The Hypertension feature offers a blood pressure log to track diastolic readings. The log can be exported to PDF to send to your doctor. It also includes blood pressure reminders and classifications based on American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology guidelines.
When developing the feature, Apple used data from over 100,000 study participants to understand the presence of hypertension.
Apple watches are supported
Apple Watch owners in more than 150 countries can start using the feature starting next week. The feature isn’t just available on Apple’s latest smartwatch lineup, the Series 11 and Ultra 3, which it announced Tuesday. The Apple Watch Series 9 or later, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later can access the feature using Apple’s latest software, WatchOS 26.
The feature is rolling out to the SE 2 and SE 3 smartwatches.
Also: Older Apple Watches are getting a big health upgrade
The potential hypertension detection is one of three features in Apple’s Health arsenal that have received FDA clearance, the other two including a hearing loss detection feature for AirPods and sleep apnea detection for the Apple Watch. Apple has the most FDA-cleared health features from its competitors, primarily Samsung and Google.
As the health tracking landscape expands and more companies start up, Apple is differentiating its health offerings through this medical approval process. It’s one way the tech giant is increasing its foothold in the health tech arena, and it underscores how health wearable tech brands are evolving to address health and are moving more toward wellness products and less toward medical devices. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that Apple’s biggest investment will be with its health features.
