Apple excludes the blood oxygenation app questioned in court from smartwatches – 01/18/2024 – Tech

Apple announced this Wednesday (17) that it will begin selling two of its main smartwatches without measuring oxygen levels in people’s blood.

The technology giant will abandon the feature from Thursday (18), after losing a patent infringement process over its blood oxygen measurement technology two months ago.

In October, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) recommended that Apple stop selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 devices. Rather than halt sales, the company requested permission to continue selling the devices after removing the infringing technology.

Apple even suspended sales between December 21 and 27 last year, when it obtained a favorable ruling from an appeals court in Washington to resume selling the products.

Starting Thursday, people who buy a new watch in the United States will still see Apple’s Blood Oxygen app on their devices, the company said. But if they tap the app, it will tell them the feature is no longer available.

The change will not affect smartwatches currently in use. People with Apple Watches capable of detecting their blood oxygen levels can continue to use this feature, the company said.

The Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 will also continue to offer a variety of other features, including the ability to track runs, set timers, and detect falls and irregular heartbeats.

In October, the ITC found that several Apple Watches infringed patents held by Masimo, a medical technology company in Irvine, California (USA) that helped pioneer pulse oximeter technology. It issued an import ban on Apple watches, which are manufactured in Asia.

At the time, an Apple spokesperson said he “vehemently” disagreed with the decision. The manufacturer of cell phones and smart watches appealed, even obtaining an injunction, but was once again defeated in trial this Wednesday (18).

The decision is a blow to Apple’s efforts to increase the usefulness of its watches by adding health features. In 2018, the company obtained approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, the US health surveillance agency) for its watches to begin measuring heart rates through electrocardiogram tests. It later added the ability to detect falls, accidents and heart rates.

The new features have pushed Apple deeper into the world of medical devices, dominated by companies like Medtronic and Abbott. Masimo had secured several patents on pulse oximeter technology, which measures the percentage of oxygen that red blood cells carry from the lungs to the body.

In court, Masimo said Apple had discussed acquiring the medical device company but opted to hire Masimo’s top executives and employees. In 2020, Apple launched its first watch with pulse oximetry.

The following year, Masimo took its complaints that Apple stole its technology to the International Trade Commission. The appeals court is expected to make a decision this year.