Apple is restoring blood oxygen monitoring to recent Apple Watch models in the United States through an Apple Watch blood oxygen redesign that shifts processing to the iPhone. Starting today, users of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 who originally lacked SpO2 will be able to record readings again after updating to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, which is expected to release today. Apple says the readings will be measured on Apple Watch but calculated and viewed in the Health app’s Respiratory section on iPhone, enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.
This change follows a long patent dispute that led to a U.S. International Trade Commission import ban on certain Apple Watch models with pulse oximetry. Apple previously disabled SpO2 on units sold in the U.S. after those restrictions took effect. With today’s software-only approach, Apple can legally sell watches while giving affected owners a path to regain functionality, even as appeals continue.
Not every Apple Watch is impacted. If your watch originally included on-watch SpO2 at purchase, nothing changes. Models bought outside the U.S. are unaffected as well. The update specifically targets U.S. units that shipped without SpO2 during the import restrictions period, and it restores access by relocating computation to the paired iPhone.
There is a key usability tradeoff to understand. With the Apple Watch blood oxygen redesign, readings are no longer shown on your wrist as before. Instead, data appears in the iPhone Health app after processing. That means no on-watch spot checks or complications that show SpO2 values, but you still get historical trends and records in Health.
From a practical standpoint, setup is straightforward. Update iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1, then open the Health app on iPhone to find Blood Oxygen under Respiratory. If you previously saw a notice that SpO2 was unavailable on your watch, the toggle should return after the updates. Apple emphasizes this redesigned path has no impact on devices that already had the original feature.
For users who rely on altitude or wellness tracking, the restored capability brings back a useful data point for context alongside heart rate, sleep, and temperature trends. While Apple positions Blood Oxygen as a wellness feature, not a medical device measurement, the ability to log SpO2 again helps complete the picture in Health when reviewing workouts, sleep consistency, and travel to high elevations.
The broader legal story is still unfolding. Apple continues to appeal the ITC decision and faces ongoing litigation with Masimo. Today’s move is a regulatory-compliant workaround that preserves value for recent buyers while Apple seeks a long-term resolution. For now, the redesigned approach meets U.S. requirements and returns an important health metric to affected owners.
Overall, this is a measured fix that balances compliance with user needs. If you purchased a Series 9, Series 10, or Ultra 2 in the U.S. without SpO2, install today’s updates to bring back blood oxygen tracking on your iPhone, with the caveat that readings are no longer displayed on Apple Watch itself.
