Apple has disabled the oxygen meter on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States. That’s a good thing, because the feature is reportedly unreliable.
Ban on sales of Apple Watches
As of Thursday, December 21, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 were no longer available for purchase in the United States. That sales ban was the result of a patent case between Apple and the medical company Masimo. According to Masimo, Apple violates the company’s patents by using the oxygen meter in the Apple Watch.
Also read: Apple Watch Series 6 oxygen meter: 5 questions answered
With this function you can measure the oxygen level in your blood. In order to bring the latest smartwatches to the market, Apple has decided to disable the oxygen meter on the Apple Watch. This is how Apple avoids the patent case. According to Masimo, that’s a good thing, because a top executive of the company now claims that the saturation meter in the Apple Watch is not reliable at all.
Masimo: oxygen meter unreliable
This Thursday, Apple resumed sales of the latest Apple Watches. These models are sold without the saturation meter, Apple has removed that function from the latest smartwatches. In response, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani has now said that he thinks consumers are better off without the oxygen meter, because it is unreliable on the Apple Watch.
The CEO does not substantiate his statements with previous research. It is therefore doubtful to what extent the oxygen meter is actually unreliable on the Apple Watch. Previous research from the University of São Paulo compared the results of two real saturation meters with those of the Apple Watch. This did not reveal any major differences, so the function on the Apple Watch appears to be accurate.
No consequences in the Netherlands
Since this week, American consumers have had to make do without the oxygen meter in the Apple Watch. In the Netherlands we hardly notice the patent case, because it concerns an American lawsuit. Here the saturation meter remains available on the smartwatch. For this you must have an Apple Watch Series 6 or newer.
Also read: This is how the Apple Watch saved someone from carbon monoxide poisoning
Previous Apple Watches did not yet have the function. Do you not have an oxygen meter on your Apple Watch and are you still looking for a new model? The Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are the latest smartwatches of the moment. View the best prices of the watches in our price comparator, so you can be sure you are not paying too much!