Sleep apnea detection is one of the most remarkable new features coming to the new Apple Watch Series 10, as well as last year's Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
That said, the feature came with an asterisk when announced at the Apple event, with Apple not yet achieving FDA approval for the feature to be used as of last week. But now, Apple has received approval just in time for the launch of watchOS 11, according to an entry on the FDA's website published on the morning of September 16.
I've always felt like I'm not sleeping well, and I've wondered if I might have sleep apnea. Instead of doing the intelligent thing and talking to my doctor, I ignored the problem. Now that I can better understand whether I have it without doing a sleep study, I can't wait to fix my sleep problems. Of course, I'll need to see my doctor once I go through Apple's process, but this is a step in the right direction for me.
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Apple's Newsroom announcement states that the feature "is intended to detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea for people 18 years or older without a diagnosis of sleep apnea." In other words, it's not a true sleep apnea diagnosis but a probable detection that can then be brought to a doctor for seeking treatment.
According to the FDA, the sleep apnea detection feature on Apple Watch is "Substantially Equivalent" to an "Over-The-Counter Device To Assess Risk Of Sleep Apnea." Essentially, that means it functions similarly to a device designed for sleep apnea detection.
The approval was officially granted on 9/13/2024, but it took a little while to be posted. Apple submitted the request on 04/04/2024, so the feature has been in the works for some time.
Not every Apple Watch owner can use the feature, though. It will only be supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, even though it's baked into watchOS 11 and works for Series 6 and newer.
watchOS 11 is officially hitting supported devices today (September 16). Again, the sleep apnea notification feature is only available on Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, but there are plenty of other exciting features coming to watchOS 11 that you can get excited about if you have an older device.
I intend to try the feature and see what happens. If my Apple Watch thinks I have sleep apnea, I'll schedule an appointment with my doctor and finally fix my sleep issues.
Apple's other health wins
This hasn't been Apple's first health feature approval recently. The company also received approval for its AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid feature. With that feature, users can use their everyday headphones to enhance sounds and help them hear what's happening around them, just like a traditional hearing aid would.
Between the sleep apnea notification and hearing aid functionality, it's clear that Apple has a significant focus on health features, which is great for users.
