How does ECG blocking work on Apple Watches?

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brsm1990 Author

Level 2

250 points

How does ECG blocking work on Apple Watches?

If I purchase an Apple Watch in an country that doesn't support ECG but I go home to a country that does will it work? Or is it missing hardware?

Likewise, if I buy the Apple Watch in a country that does support ECG and I activate my Apple ID with a credit card and billing address in a country that does support ECG, will it be disabled when I go to a country that doesn't support it on vacation? What if I disable GPS?

I want to buy an Apple Watch. ECG is supported in my home country (billing address and credit card). It is easy for me to buy the watch from a country that supports it. However, I often travel to countries that don't support it. I don't want to get screwed out of this key feature but it's not clear how to avoid that.

Others have asked this question but the answers aren't very clear.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251824051

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250654094

Would this work any differently on different versions of the watch?

Apple Watch

Posted on Sep 26, 2020 3:54 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

IdrisSeabright

Level 10

186,035 points

Sep 26, 2020 7:57 AM in response to brsm1990

In order for the ECG feature to work the watch must 1) be purchased in a country where the feature was approved and 2) be used with an Apple ID that is in a region where ECG has been approved. Where you are is not as relevant.

So, if I take my U.S. purchased watch, active on an Apple ID that is connected to the U.S. and I go to Australia where it has not been approved, I will still be able to get ECG readings.

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