High blood pressure: Apple Watch detects only 4 out of 10 cases
With watchOS 26, the Apple Watch can warn of signs of high blood pressure, including in Germany. People at risk should not rely on this feature.
(Image: heise medien)
In around 30 days, Apple Watches will warn their first wearers about possible high blood pressure: With watchOS 26 and iOS 26, Apple has launched its latest health feature, "High Blood Pressure Notifications." It went live just in time for the release of the operating system updates earlier this week and was previously approved by regulatory authorities in several countries. This means that the feature is also available in Germany.
The warnings can be activated not only on Ultra 3 and Series 11, but also on Series 9 and Ultra 2 and above. The Apple Watch SE does not support this feature.
Watch does not provide blood pressure readings
When activating the warning messages, Apple points out that "not every case of high blood pressure can be identified." However, according to Apple's own study on the clinical validation of the feature, the warning only triggered in just under 30 percent of study participants with high blood pressure (grade 1 hypertension). Among participants with grade 2 hypertension, the watch detected the condition in just over half of the cases.
On average, the watch only detected the condition in around 4 out of 10 people with high blood pressure. People at risk of high blood pressure should therefore not rely solely on the watch's new warning function, but should continue to have their blood pressure monitored by their doctor or with a medical blood pressure monitor.
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The watch cannot measure blood pressure. The high blood pressure notifications are based on the existing optical heart sensor and photoplethysmography. The technology detects changes in blood volume in the vessels by shining light from the rear LED into the wrist and measuring the reflection. A new algorithm looks for signs of high blood pressure, with measurements taken during the day – and not sleep tracking. If corresponding patterns are detected over a period of 30 days, the watch sends a warning message and advises you to visit a doctor and check your blood pressure with a blood pressure monitor. This can now be specifically logged in Apple Health, including a reminder –, another new feature of iOS 26.
False alarms are rare – and possibly useful after all
After all, there were false alarms –, i.e., false warnings for users without high blood pressure – according to Apple's validation study. Of the few users who received a false alarm, a "significant proportion" also had slightly elevated blood pressure, writes Apple –. Accordingly, false warnings could even be useful for taking early countermeasures. Apple stated last week that over a million Watch wearers could receive such warnings in the first year alone.
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