Apple Watch: High blood pressure warning for new and older watches

Contents

High blood pressure is a widespread disease: according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), between 20 and 30 million people in Germany alone have what is known as hypertension. Worldwide, it is estimated that 1.3 billion adults are affected. The tricky thing is that by the time the symptoms become noticeable, the disease is often already at an advanced stage. Many live with high blood pressure undetected for a long time. This increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.

A health function for blood pressure was therefore unsurprisingly high on the wish list of many Apple Watch users. Unfortunately, development has not yet reached the point where the classic measuring device can remain in the drawer for monitoring purposes. But at least the Apple Watch will be able to point out possible warning signs in future so that those affected can have their suspicions checked. Another new health function is a sleep index that provides information about the quality of sleep.

Also available for older devices

The good news is that the high blood pressure feature will not only be available to buyers of the new Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. According to Apple, it will also be available to owners of an Ultra 2 as well as the Series 9 and Series 10. It is currently being reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and could be released at the end of the month. The Sleep Score will even be available from Series 6 onwards, on the Apple Watch SE from the 2nd generation onwards, and on all Ultra models, provided there is at least one iPhone 11 with iOS 26. Of course, the prerequisite in all cases is the installation of watchOS 26 on the watch.

Apple uses the optical heart sensor to track high blood pressure. It records how the user's blood vessels react to the heartbeats. These recordings are evaluated over a period of 30 days using an algorithm, and users are notified if there are any signs. The watch does not have to be worn day and night; it is sufficient to wear it during the day. However, the function is only available to people aged 22 and over. Anyone who has already been diagnosed with high blood pressure cannot use it either. Pregnant women are also excluded.

Training data from 100,000 people

Apple developed the algorithm with the help of machine learning. Data from studies with over 100,000 participants was analyzed. Whether the function really works was then tested with 2,000 people in a clinical study.

Anyone who receives a notification is advised to create a kind of measurement diary for seven days using the iPhone's Health app. With the help of a classic measuring device, values can then be determined and entered into the app. This data can help a doctor make a diagnosis. The measurement log can apparently also be used by people with diagnosed high blood pressure to record control measurements at longer intervals. Apple expects that in the first year alone, over one million people will receive notifications that they may have high blood pressure.

Indications for better sleep quality

The sleep index is a supplement to the previous recording of sleep phases. The device awards points for various aspects. These are the duration of sleep, the time spent in bed, and the number of interruptions. The total can be used to classify the quality of sleep. Such an index is known from other health gadgets, such as fitness rings. According to Apple, users can use the function to deduce what they can do to improve their sleep.

(mki)