Apple officially confirmed it will disable the blood oxygen tracking on its Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 smartwatches in the United States. The change only applies to new sales – those watches will not be able to measure SpO2 until the legal battle is over between Cupertino and medical technology company Masimo.
Current units on the market, including those that are already shipped to third-party retailers, will continue functioning as before. Users outside the United States will remain unaffected as well.
Apple Watch Series 9
Disabling the SpO2 sensor is one way for Apple to continue selling its newest smartwatches as they would otherwise be outright banned by the US International Trade Commission (ITC). However, the company didn’t manage to update the interface, so those who purchase Watch Ultra 2 or Series 9 will still get the blood oxygen icon. After tapping it, they will be notified the feature is unavailable.
Apple does not disclose sales figures by device anymore, but per its latest report 42% of its overall wearable revenue came from North America.
