Recommended Free Tools
Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Apple’s patent application shows continued work on wrist-based blood-oxygen sensing, but it did not itself restore the Apple Watch feature or guarantee a launch. The application, published in 2024, claims priority to 2019. By August 2026, Apple had introduced a redesigned Blood Oxygen experience on eligible U.S. watches, with analysis performed on the paired iPhone. The original U.S. implementation remains tied to the company’s dispute with Masimo.
What Apple actually filed
The document at the center of the story is U.S. patent application US20240389901A1, “Physiological monitoring system for measuring oxygen saturation”. Apple filed it on August 1, 2024, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published it on November 28, 2024. Its listed priority date is September 27, 2019, so the publication was new but the underlying work belongs to a longer-running patent family.
- Applicant and assignee: Apple Inc.
- Device concept: a wrist-worn product such as a smartwatch.
- Sensing approach: reflective optical measurement using multiple emitters and detectors.
- Technical problem: accounting for changing, heterogeneous tissue and sampling conditions at the wrist.
- Record status: shown as pending in the cited patent record.
In practical terms, the filing describes ways to collect and process light-based measurements so a wearable can estimate oxygen saturation. It does not name a future Apple Watch, announce a release date or say that Masimo has approved the design.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallApple has also filed earlier pulse-oximetry work, including US20220273207A1, US11931147B2, US11350860B1 and US11331016B1. Calling the 2024 application a completely new invention therefore overstates what the record establishes.
#1 Best Overall
![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/416RQ0rtsUL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Why the filing matters—and what it cannot prove
A patent application is evidence of technical and legal activity. It can help Apple protect a different sensor arrangement, improve signal processing or preserve design options for later watches. It could support an implementation intended to avoid claims asserted by Masimo, but the filing does not establish that it does so.
- A pending application may be amended, narrowed, rejected or abandoned.
- Owning or seeking a patent does not automatically provide freedom to operate against another company’s patents.
- The application does not confirm a product, software update or shipping timetable.
- It does not show that Masimo accepted the design or that every related dispute has ended.
Whether a particular implementation infringes depends on the final patent claims, prosecution history, technical facts and decisions by courts or agencies. A patent also describes an invention; it does not by itself prove clinical accuracy.
Rank #2
![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31caPPnRysL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
How the Masimo dispute changed Apple Watch
Apple introduced Blood Oxygen with Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020. The system used LEDs and photodiodes to estimate blood oxygen levels. Masimo alleged that Apple Watches infringed its pulse-oximetry patents. The Federal Circuit’s March 19, 2026 opinion affirmed the relevant International Trade Commission infringement and domestic-industry determinations in Apple’s appeal.
The ITC issued an exclusion order and cease-and-desist order covering certain Apple wearable devices with light-based pulse-oximetry functionality. Apple could import U.S. versions with Blood Oxygen disabled, as described in Masimo’s SEC filing. The original implementation therefore became unavailable or disabled on affected U.S. models, while regional availability elsewhere followed different rules.
Rank #3
![Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31YiTby0pOL._SL160_.jpg)
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
What U.S. users have now
Apple’s current support documentation describes a redesigned arrangement for eligible U.S. models. The watch collects the relevant data, while the paired iPhone performs the Blood Oxygen analysis and displays results in the Health app. Apple says the documented experience applies to U.S.-purchased models from January 18, 2024 onward with part numbers ending in LW/A, subject to compatible hardware, software and region.
Check Apple’s Blood Oxygen support page for the controlling compatibility list. Retail model names alone are not enough: an imported, refurbished or region-specific watch can have different functionality. A compatible iPhone and current iOS and watchOS versions may also be required.
Rank #4
![Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31Gq8SToFJL._SL160_.jpg)
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
| Question | Original U.S. experience | Redesigned U.S. experience |
|---|---|---|
| Where analysis occurs | Original watch-based implementation | Paired iPhone, according to Apple |
| Legal and availability context | Disabled or blocked on affected U.S. models after the import restriction | Introduced for specified eligible models |
| What determines access | Model and region | Model, part number, region, software and compatible iPhone |
| Intended use | General fitness and wellness, not medical diagnosis | |
The redesign should not be described as the original sensor implementation simply returning. Apple has not publicly stated that the 2024 application is the specific patent behind the redesigned feature.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Did Apple’s patent bypass Masimo?
There is no basis for saying that it did. A March 2026 ITC administrative-law decision was reported as finding that Apple’s redesigned blood-oxygen feature did not infringe the Masimo patents at issue in that proceeding (9to5Mac’s report). That is a significant milestone, but it is not a blanket ruling covering every Apple pulse-oximetry design, patent or trade-secret allegation. The Federal Circuit ruling and other proceedings mean the broader legal story should not be treated as finished.
Best Value
![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41s72HIk5TL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
What buyers should verify
- Identify the exact Apple Watch model and generation.
- Confirm the country or region where it was purchased and will be used.
- For U.S. models, check the part-number suffix; Apple’s documentation specifies LW/A for the listed post-January 18, 2024 devices.
- Verify that the watch has the required optical-sensing hardware.
- Check iPhone compatibility and install supported iOS and watchOS versions.
- Confirm that the Blood Oxygen app and Health integration are available in your region.
- Allow for setup or software updates before judging whether the feature is present.
Apple labels the readings as wellness and fitness information, not a medical diagnostic service. Anyone who needs clinical monitoring should use a device authorized for that purpose and follow a clinician’s advice rather than treating a smartwatch reading as a diagnosis.
What the patent means for Apple Watch’s future
The filing is meaningful because it shows Apple continues to invest in wrist-based oxygen-saturation sensing despite the dispute. It may contribute to future hardware, algorithms or legal strategies. Its 2019 priority date also explains why “fresh patent” is a useful description of the publication, not proof that Apple suddenly created a post-lawsuit replacement.
The accurate conclusion as of August 2026 is narrower: Apple’s patent activity did not independently bring back Blood Oxygen, but Apple has since delivered a redesigned U.S. experience on eligible watches. Whether a particular buyer receives it depends on model, part number, region, software and iPhone compatibility—not on the existence of the patent application alone.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsQuick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
