Apple says its survived a relentless legal campaign against the Apple Watch and it could mean a key health feature is returning to your wrist

Date:
Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:47:30 +0000

Description:
A legal ruling means blood oxygen measurements could return to the Apple
Watch after a lengthy absence.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter A ban on Apple Watch blood oxygen metrics has been overturned A judge has now dismissed the appeal against that decision Apple fans could soon see the
blood oxygen feature return in full Apple has been involved in a long-running dispute with medical tech firm Masimo over its top smartwatches , with the latter claiming that all the best Apple Watches infringe on its patents.

In December 2023, that led to an import ban for several Apple Watch models in the US, including the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Yet
in a momentous move, that legal decision was recently overturned and now a judge has declined to hear Masimos appeal, scoring a major victory for Apple. Specifically, Masimo had asked the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to reinstate the import ban that was recently lifted against the Apple Watch models. That decision was made in March and ruled that Apples devices did not infringe on Masimos patents. But a judge at the ITC has now declined to grant Masimos request (via Reuters ), and as a result the case has been closed. Article continues below You may like The best Apple Watch 2026: Which
wearable is right for you? Huawei just beat Apple and Samsung to a
world-first smartwatch diabetes tool This reduction would 'offset the initial cost of the device': New research argues for health services giving out Apple Watches to patients for free here's why

What does that mean for you? Quite simply, it means you should soon be able
to buy an Apple Watch with its blood oxygen feature enabled. If you want an Apple Watch and that kind of medical tracking is important to you, thatll be great news.

While this latest development might appear to end the back and forth between the two companies, Masimo still has other options. It could appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, although the company hasnt yet commented on whether it will do so. Time will tell how far it wants to go before ending the dispute. Not over yet (Image credit: Future) The original court ruling against Apple meant that the Cupertino company was forced to disable the blood oxygen feature from all of its best Apple Watches, entirely depriving users of the ability to check their health in this key way.

Later, Apple devised a workaround whereby users could take a blood oxygen reading on their Watch and then have that statistic displayed on their iPhone , which apparently skirted around the judgment. But it was still inferior to being able to measure your blood oxygen levels and see the result on the same device. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Now that Masimos appeal has been rejected, however, none of that should be necessary anymore. The way has been cleared for Apple to restore its blood oxygen measurement feature to its wearables and bring back a tool that has been sorely missing from its devices.

Speaking after Masimos appeal was rejected, Apple said: We thank the ITC for its decision, which ensures we can continue to offer this important health feature to our users. For more than six years, Masimo has waged a relentless legal campaign against Apple, and nearly all of its claims have been
rejected.

Yet with Masimo still being able to appeal and with Apple appealing against
a separate $634 million judgment it lost in November 2025 we might not have seen the end of this lengthy saga. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. bundle Apple Watch Series 10 298 View See all prices We check over 250
million products every day for the best prices powered by



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/apple-says-its-survived- a-relentless-legal-campaign-against-the-apple-watch-and-it-could-mean-a-key-he alth-feature-is-returning-to-your-wrist


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)