Apple Watch Gets FDA Clearance For Hypertension-Notification Feature In Upcoming OS

Apple Inc. has received clearance from the US Food and Drugs Administration to introduce their hypertension notification feature to its Apple Watch operating systems, according to a news report from the Verge on Friday.

The feature will be rolled out for the Watch Series 9 and beyond, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 via the launch of watchOS 26. This was attributed to a statement emailed by Apple spokesperson Zaina Khachadourian, stating the hypertension monitoring feature had received FDA clearance.

The feature will be made available on Sept. 15 with the launch of watchOS 26. Coming to 150 countries and regions.

The watch uses data from its optical heart sensor to monitor and study the way the user's blood vessels react to the beats of their heart. This data, collected over a period of 30 days, is then run through an algorithm, which will send out a notification if it sees signs of high blood pressure.

The watchOS 26 will enable users to perform a wide array of functions through the action of flicking their wrists, according to the Verge. This includes the ability to dismiss notifications and incoming calls, stop timers and alarms. The new operating system can also track noise levels and calibrate notification settings so that users don't have the deafening beep of a notification cut through a silent moment.

Apple will also be bringing its notes application to the Apple Watch through the new OS.