The Apple Watch‘s blood oxygen sensor has been on the heart of what seems like a endless tennis fit of prison back-and-forth.
In 2020, the Apple Watch Series 6 launched with the sensor that measures your blood’s oxygen saturation (SpO2), which is how a lot oxygen crimson blood cells pick out up out of your lungs and delivery to the remainder of your frame. That very same yr, world clinical era corporate Masimo filed a lawsuit claiming that Apple’s sensor infringed its patents. In 2023, america World Industry Fee sided with Masimo and imposed an import ban on Apple Watch Sequence 9 and Extremely 2 fashions.
Alternatively, on Friday, the ITC declined Masimo’s request for some other import ban at the Apple Watch and mentioned it would not overview a initial ruling discovering that the redesigned Apple Watch doesn’t infringe Masimo’s patents. This can be a primary win for Apple.
Until Masimo makes a decision to attraction the verdict, Apple can convey blood oxygen tracking again to its gadgets.
However in accordance with the historical past of this example, it will not be the top of this fit.
The historical past of Apple’s blood oxygen ban
The ITC changed into concerned within the Masimo and Apple prison fight in 2021, and in January 2023, it upheld that Apple violated Masimo’s patents. Then, in December 2023, the ITC banned Apple from importing its watches, together with the Sequence 9 and Extremely 2, into america.
To keep away from the ban, Apple disabled blood oxygen sensing on its gadgets.
Forward of the Apple Watch Sequence 11 release, Apple reintroduced blood oxygen sensing in August 2025, which was once licensed by means of america Customs and Border Coverage. It were given across the ban by means of the use of a paired iPhone to show blood oxygen ranges as an alternative of the Apple Watch. Masimo sued US Customs over this resolution.
If relaunched, you would be capable of view your blood oxygen ranges within the iPhone’s Well being app.
In November 2025, a jury for america District Court docket for the Central District of California discovered that Apple infringed considered one of Masimo’s patents and awarded the corporate $634 million in damages. Apple advised AppleInsider that it plans to appeal, claiming that the patent expired in 2022.
Even though the ITC has rejected some other ban on Apple’s blood oxygen function and declined Masimo’s request to check the ruling in Apple’s choose, Masimo might proceed the fight, particularly given its November win, and then the corporate released a statement pronouncing, “We stay dedicated to protecting our IP [intellectual property] rights shifting ahead.”
An Apple consultant did not straight away reply to a request for remark. Masimo declined to remark.
Within the period in-between, in case your interest will get the most productive of you, you might want to all the time acquire a pulse oximeter. It is a instrument that estimates your blood oxygen stage by means of measuring the sunshine that passes thru your finger. No messy prison battles concerned.
