The Apple Watch has been the go-to smartwatch for anyone who has an iPhone not just because it works well with Apple’s ecosystem, but also for all the tech and life-saving features it includes. Apple has been aiming to add blood pressure monitoring to its features for some time now, but it looks like there will be more delays in launching it in the next-generation Apple Watch Series 8 as well.
According to a report by Fonearena, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has hinted that the Cupertino tech giant is facing hurdles in finalising the feature for the Apple Watch and we may not get to see the feature until early 2024, or even the year 2025. This could potentially mean that the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Series 9 too could miss out on the feature when they release.
While this feature is already available on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 in other countries, it is dependent on an external cuff-based blood pressure monitoring machine and also requires installing the Samsung Health Monitor app. Even after taking readings from the machine, you will have to input the systolic and diastolic levels manually into the app every 4 weeks to ensure continuous calibration with the smartwatch.
Apple on the other hand is intending to look for other ways to directly monitor and notify users about their blood pressure levels. The report states that the Apple Watch may not display the actual systolic and diastolic readings, but will send a notification when it senses the user is showing signs of high blood pressure or hypertension through the companion Health app. The Apple Watch can send notifications of low heart levels in the current generation of its product line.
Monitor blood sugar too from your wrist
While the company is facing problems in launching blood pressure monitoring on its smartwatches, Apple is still working and researching with glucometer manufacturers to be compatible with these devices too. The timeline for the release of the blood sugar monitoring feature arriving on any of the Watch models is unknown. Some even speculated it would take more than 5 years or more.
The Apple Watch has been known to provide notifications to the elderly about possible strokes or even send an alert to loved ones in case a fall has been detected. Adding these new features would only strengthen the reason to get an Apple Watch. Though, it means that users will have to become part of the ecosystem as the smartwatch is compatible only with an iPhone.
