One of the features Apple chose to focus on was the brand-new Hypertension alerts. The Apple Watch Series 11 and Watch Ultra 3 are able to detect signs of chronic high blood pressure, which Apple said impacts over 1.3 billion adults globally.
To catch the condition, the smartwatch uses data from the same optical heart sensor that was present on previous Apple Watch models. That data is now analyzed through a new algorithm that passively assesses how blood vessels respond to the heartbeats over 30-day periods. If the algorithm detects patterns associated with hypertension, it alerts the users, so they can get a medical checkup.
Apple claims it used a mix of machine learning and the data from multiple studies with over 100,000 participants to train its algorithm. It then validated the performance of the feature with an additional study with over 2,000 participants.
While introducing the feature, Apple’s VP of health, Dr. Sumbul Ahmad Desai, explained that high blood pressure is often undetected. The reason is that often there are no obvious symptoms for it. That’s partially why Apple expects to alert over 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension only within the first year after the feature becomes available. However, the company clarifies that the Hypertension notification feature will not detect all instances of high blood pressure.
Hypertension notifications will be available this month on Apple Watch Series 9 and later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, with watchOS 26 installed. The feature will be available in more than 150 countries and regions, including the US and the EU. Apple said it expects clearance from the FDA and other regulators soon.
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