Hypertension notifications on Apple Watch utilize data from the optical heart sensor to analyze how a user’s blood vessels respond to the heartbeats.
Apple Inc. has reportedly received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the hypertension monitoring functionality in its smartwatches, paving the way for users to avail this advanced health feature as early as next week.
The drug regulator gave its nod on Thursday, Bloomberg reported. This feature was announced at its “Awe Dropping” launch event held on Tuesday afternoon. The company stated that users can receive notifications for signs of hypertension — a chronic condition characterized by high blood pressure — on the smartwatch.
Hypertension notifications on Apple Watch use data from the optical heart sensor to analyse how a user’s blood vessels respond to the beats of the heart. “The algorithm works passively in the background reviewing data over 30-day periods, and will notify users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension,” Apple said during the uveil.
Apple stated that the feature was developed using advanced machine learning and training data from multiple studies, involving over 100,000 participants, and that its performance was subsequently validated in a clinical study involving over 2,000 participants. The company anticipates that the feature will notify over 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension within the first year.
Cupertino had said then it expects the feature to receive clearance from the FDA and other regulators soon and be made available in more than 150 countries and regions, including in the U.S. and Europe.
Hypertension notifications will be available on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, with watchOS 26.
According to an estimate shared by Apple, hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, and impacts approximately 1.3 billion adults globally.
Apple’s push comes at a time when wearable device makers are adding more and more health and wellness features to their products. Samsung’s newest Galaxy Smartwatch 8, released earlier this year, came with a feature to provide a skin-based antioxidant index.
Apple also announced a Sleep Score feature for its smartwatches, powered by watchOS 8, which can help users understand their sleep quality.
On Thursday, despite snagging an analyst’s downgrade, Apple stock snapped a four-session losing streak and ended up 1.43% at $230.03.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Apple stock remained at ‘extremely bullish’ (85/100) and the message volume continued to be ‘high.’
Apple stock has lost about 8% this year.
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