Apple to remove blood oxygen feature from some watches after US ban

Apple will remove the blood oxygen monitoring feature from the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 sold in the United States due to a patent infringement claim. Apple will remove the blood oxygen measuring feature from some of its latest Apple Watches in the United States in a move that will allow the company to continue selling the devices in the country as it fights a lawsuit against California-based health technology firm Masimo.

The company said in a statement that the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 model smartwatches will start going on sale on Thursday, reported Reuters. The company has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Masimo, which manufactures medical devices, ever since the International Trade Commission (ITC) in October found that its smartwatches had sensors that infringed upon Masimo’s patents.

The watches that had the sensors were banned on December 26 last year before Apple got a victory in a US appeals court on December 27 to pause the import ban on the smartwatches. But the court did not turn the ITC decision, which is currently under appeal. It is quite rare for technology companies like Apple to remove features from released products and there is a chance that the absence of a blood oxygen sensor might turn away some customers.“Pending the appeal, Apple is taking steps to comply with the ruling while ensuring customers have access to Apple Watch with limited disruption.

These steps include introducing a version of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States without the Blood Oxygen feature. There is no impact to Apple Watch units previously purchased that include the Blood Oxygen feature,” said an Apple spokesperson to CNBC. The Apple Watch is an important product category for the company. It made nearly $40 billion in sales from the wearables category in 2023.

This category also includes its headphones but the watches make up a significant chunk. Masimo accused Apple of hiring its employees and stealing its technology to create the pulse oximetry devices used in the smartwatches. The watches continued to be available for sale in the United States through various channels after Apple received a temporary reprieve from the US court.Masimo’s founder and chief executive Joe Kiani said the ruling showed that “even the largest and most powerful companies must respect the intellectual rights of American inventors and must deal with the consequences when they are caught infringing others’ patents,” according to BBC.