Can the Apple Watch measure oxygen levels?
I wear a pulse oximeter on my fingertip that tells my heart rate and oxygen levels. Could the apple watch do that for me?
Apple Watch, iOS 8.4
No.
5 replies
Not currently. It appears the hardware may be capable of that, but it would require FDA approval as a medical device, which the Apple watch does not have.
Thanks. Interesting that measuring heart rate is ok on the watch as a fitness type app, but my little $35 pulse oximeter is a medical device that the watch is not approved for. It would be so helpful. Perhaps if enough doctors wanted it...
Pulse is a trivial thing to do on a device and doesn't require any type of certification. Your Pulse Ox meter is calibrated from the factory and that is its only function. A few years back they were much more expensive.
The problem with using the watch for this is the best measurement for a device is at your fingertip. Unless there is an attachment for the watch it is going to be hard to add this function and be accurate.
Thanks. Since I've been stuck with tracking my O2 for years I'm getting frustrated even with the disposable pulseox devices. I'm sure the bulky recording devices i'm stuck with will get smaller but i'd love that one function in a more convenient attachment (like a watch) that wouldn't get in the way. They are definitely getting cheaper though. I only know they are $35 now because I broke the last one and found this new one at Target of all places.
My wish list would be a way to track readings over time (while I do normal things) and an alarm when I drop into the 80's for O2 percent. I'd even like the alarm for when my pulse drops below 50 but at least I can track it outside of a hospital!
Can the Apple Watch measure oxygen levels?