At its big iPhone event on Tuesday, Apple announced that it will soon be rolling out notifications for hypertension, joining similar alerts for things like sleep apnea, heart health, and noise. However, these high blood pressure notifications won’t be available exclusively on the new Apple Watch Series 11 or Ultra 3.
Read on to find out if and when your Apple Watch will receive notifications for hypertension. We also discuss how the feature works and what it means.
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What is hypertension?
High blood pressure is also called hypertension, and according to the American Heart Association, it occurs when “the force of blood pushing against the walls of the blood vessels is too high.” Hypertension can lead to serious cardiovascular problems, such as stroke or heart attack. Contrary to popular belief, high blood pressure can affect people of any age—not just adults.
According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 billion adults worldwide have hypertension. About 46% of adults with hypertension don’t even know they have the condition because they may not experience symptoms. The only way to know if you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked.
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What are Apple’s hypertension notifications?
The Apple Watch’s optical heart sensor uses photoplethysmography, or PPG, data that measures changes in blood volume through the skin to analyze how your blood vessels respond to your heartbeat. Working passively, the deep learning algorithm uses 60-second segments of PPG signals collected about every two hours as input. This PPG data is also filtered using Apple Watch accelerometer data to see if the user is sitting still, which is required by the algorithm. It then reviews this data over 30-day periods and will alert the user if it notices persistent signs of hypertension.
While the feature won’t detect all cases of hypertension, Apple expects these alerts to notify more than 1 million people of undiagnosed hypertension within the first year of its launch. This is crucial because there are lifestyle changes and medical interventions that can help people control their high blood pressure, preventing more serious problems. Early intervention and treatment are key. Plus, as we mentioned, people may not know they have hypertension because there are no noticeable symptoms, so getting a hypertension alert on their watch allows them to take action.
If you receive a hypertension notification, Apple recommends recording your blood pressure with a third-party blood pressure cuff for seven days before sharing your results with your doctor.
The hypertension notification feature is not intended for use by people under the age of 22, those who are pregnant, or people who have already been diagnosed with hypertension.
Hypertension notifications are not blood pressure readings
While this new feature can alert you to potential hypertension, it’s not the same as a blood pressure reading you might get from a wristband. That’s because the optical sensors on a smartwatch aren’t as accurate as a wristband, which can measure the force of blood on an artery as it contracts and relaxes around your arm. Unlike a wristband, a smartwatch would also need to be calibrated to establish a baseline.
How hypertension notifications were created
The hypertension notification feature was developed using data from multiple studies with over 100,000 participants and advanced machine learning. It was later validated in a clinical trial with over 2,000 participants.
When will hypertension notifications be available?
This month, the hypertension notification feature will be available in more than 150 countries and regions, including the US and Europe. It can be found on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later. However, these devices must be running WatchOS 26.
Hypertension notifications will be included when the watchOS 26 update is released on September 15th for the Apple Watch Series 9, 10, and Ultra 2. Notifications will also be coming to the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 when they are released on September 19th.
Are hypertension statements cleared by the FDA?
As of September 11, the hypertension notification feature has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
