The Apple Watch has long been praised for its ability to keep users in tune with their health, from catching disorders such as sleep apnea to offering advanced fall detection and crash alerts.
Some users have even credited it with saving their lives, either by pinging emergency services after an accident or spotting the early signs of heart conditions.
Now, it has another feather in its cap thanks to a feature that can reportedly detect illnesses even before symptoms appear, as spotted by MacRumors.
It sounds almost magical but, all the same, users have spotted their Apple Watch picking up on subtle changes in their bodies, flagging potential health issues days before they start feeling poorly.
This data can be viewed on the new Vitals app, which analyses everything from your sleep stats to wrist temperature from the past week.
"I started using Vitals when it first came out on the beta and since then I've gotten sick about twice,” wrote one user on Reddit. “Both times it knew a couple days in advance and I hadn't felt anything wrong."
Chances are, you already have the handy helper if you’ve installed the latest WatchOS 11 update. Vitals also has its own section on the Health app on iPhone.
Another Reddit shared a screenshot of the user’s Vitals data, revealing several metrics dipping outside the normal range days before the signs of illness. The user noted: "Woke up today feeling off. Now, as evening approaches, I’m starting to feel that old familiar ache in my head. I’m sick."
It's important to note that while the app can detect outliers in health metrics and provide notifications, Apple does not claim it can miraculously diagnose or treat medical conditions.
Instead, the company positions the app as a tool for users to gain better context on their health. Still, it appears to be raising eyebrows with its uncanny predictive capabilities.
Users also noted that the app identified unusual readings linked to their vaccinations before they began to feel any side effects.
"My watch knew I wasn't 100% after my COVID and flu jabs as all three vitals (Wrist Temperature, Heart Rate and Respiratory Rate) were outliers and that's how I knew I was not well, amazing tbh," a Reddit user claimed.
Of course, the experience won’t be the same for everyone and some users have claimed they didn’t notice any changes until symptoms fully set in.
Vitals was introduced in September on Apple Watch Series 8 models and beyond with WatchOS 11 installed. It also monitors wellness metrics such as average heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep duration and blood oxygen levels (on compatible models).
