In the field of wearables, there is an increasing shift from pure fitness tracking to fundamental health diagnostics. Blood pressure in particular is a parameter many manufacturers are focusing on.
In the August newsletter we already reported on the manufacturer WHOOP, which is risking a confrontation with the FDA: despite a warning letter from the FDA, the manufacturer insists that its “blood pressure insights” are not a medical device. Users are shown calculated systolic and diastolic values based on overnight data.
Apple, by contrast, is taking a different route: the Apple Watch Series 11 detects signs of chronically elevated blood pressure and received FDA approval as a medical device for this function. It does not display specific systolic or diastolic values, but only sends a warning to the user when anomalies have been detected over a period of 30 days.
Handelsblatt reported on the new Apple feature: Neue Gesundheitsfunktionen für Airpods und Apple Watch