Apple watches could get blood pressure sensor and fertility tool by 2022

Apple Watches could include a blood pressure sensor and fertility tool as early as next year, as part of a series of new health-related features the tech giant is reportedly working on.

Leaked documents also suggest the company is looking to improve the way its smartwatches track sleep patterns and monitor irregular heartbeats.

It’s set to release its seventh version of the Apple Watch in the coming weeks, apparently with a bigger screen and a new flat-bezel design, but most of the more advanced health features aren’t expected until 2022 at the earliest. .

Beyond that, Apple also wants its watches to detect sleep apnea, provide medical advice when they detect low blood oxygen levels and even someday detect diabetes, according to people close to it. company who spoke to the Wall Street Journal.

According to The Journal, Apple is examining a proxy that measures the wave speed of a heartbeat that passes through a person’s arteries using sensors inside the watch.

Today, blood pressure is most often measured using inflatable cuffs around a person’s arm.

However, they cautioned that many features reviewed may be delayed or never roll out to customers.

One of Apple’s stated goals is for its watch to take a person’s temperature by next year, which could also be used for fertility planning by giving women clues about the location. where they are in their ovulation cycle, a source said.

MailOnline has approached Apple for comment, but the company has yet to respond.

The tech giant is increasingly positioning the Apple Watch as a wellness tool: CSC files first reported in May 2021 suggested the company was tapping UK firm Rockley Photonics to develop sensors non-invasive capable of measuring blood pressure, blood sugar and other biochemical markers. .

The Apple Watch 6 was the first to read blood oxygen levels, but if new technology makes future models of it, it could have implications for the more than 436 million people with diabetes worldwide. .

The Apple Watch 6 (pictured) was the first to read blood oxygen levels. But future models could include a thermometer to help with fertility planning and a blood pressure measurement tool.

Rockley Photonics’ products track various health functions non-invasively using infrared, including body temperature, blood pressure, and blood glucose, alcohol and oxygen levels.

Apple CEO Tim Cook personally tested a blood sugar tracker in 2017, and there were rumors that such a monitor would come with the Apple Watch Series 7 next month.

However, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said that was not true and that it probably won’t arrive until 2022 at the earliest, in the form of a body temperature monitor. He also said the latest model will not include a blood pressure sensor.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said the Series 7 will come with a variety of new watch faces to complement the larger display.

“While last year’s upgrade focused on the blood oxygen sensor, [upgrade] is all about a new design with a flatter screen and edges, a faster processor, and slightly larger screens, ”he wrote.

“I’ve been told that Apple will be bundling several new watch faces to take advantage of the larger display, including an updated Infograph Modular face.”

The proposed new design will bring the watch into line with the latest iPhones, which replaced the curved edges with flat edges.

Gurman has confirmed that the Series 7 will be available in 41 and 45 millimeters, compared to 40 and 44 millimeters for the 6 Series.

Details on the Apple Watch 7 are expected to be officially announced alongside the iPhone 13 at the company’s September event, which could take place as early as September 8.

HAVE APPLE WATCHES EVER SAVING LIVES?

In 2018, a Michigan woman saved her drowning husband’s life by calling 911 on his Apple Watch. But this isn’t the first time the laptop has helped homeowners in difficult circumstances.

In April 2017, Casey Bennett of Laytonsville, Md., Was driving home from school when he was struck by another vehicle, sending him and his Jeep Patriot flying through the air.

28-year-old man was able to get life-saving treatment for pulmonary embolism because his Apple Watch detected a sudden increase in his heart rate

Bennett, 22, found himself hanging from the driver’s seat by his only seat belt, with his iPhone too far out of reach to call for help.

However, he remembered his Apple Watch included an SOS emergency feature and held down the side button to contact the emergency rescuer, who was on the scene within six minutes.

Many people use the heart monitoring capabilities of Apple Watch to quickly detect heart problems.

James Green, 32, said in 2017 that his timepiece alerted him to a sudden increase in his heart rate, a sign of possible pulmonary embolism.

Green had suffered from a potentially fatal clot before and rushed to hospital, where doctors found a new clot on his lungs, which could have killed him within minutes if it had not been treated .

He says the only reason he’s only alive is because of this notification.

‘I never thought of a stupid kid [sic] the wrist computer I bought two years ago would save my life, ”Green tweeted. “I saw my heart rate increase, I ended up having a pulmonary embolism.”