Apple removes blood oxygen monitoring from Watch Series 9, Ultra 2

In an ongoing battle between Apple and Masimo, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has denied Apple’s request to extend the stay on the interim ban on the sales of the Watch Series 9 and the Watch Ultra 2 in the US. To bypass the decision, Apple started selling the two smartwatches without the blood oxygen saturation monitoring feature in the country on 18 January 2024 (via The Verge).

The two wearables that Apple has been selling since 18 January 2024, have the hardware to measure blood oxygen saturation but the company had disabled the feature from the software. You will also be able to see the Blood Oxygen icon in the applications list but when you click on it, these watches will notify you that “The Blood Oxygen app is no longer available. Learn more in the Health app on your iPhone.”

Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 without blood oxygen monitoring will have different model numbers

According to Apple, the Watch Series 9 and the Watch Ultra 2 without the blood oxygen saturation monitoring feature will have part numbers ending with LW/A. The tech giant says that the latest change will not affect the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 sold before 18 January 2024 in the country, and the change will also not affect the two smartwatches that are on sale in regions outside of the United States.

Experts believe that it could take around one year for the fight to resolve. Until then, people buying the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 will be void of blood oxygen saturation monitoring. The lack of this feature could be a huge deal breaker for many people because it is one of the most important features of a smartwatch. It would be a shame to not have it on a smartwatch as expensive as the two models.