Update 01/18/24 : Theappeals court has denied Apple ’s motion(PDF ) for a keep on stay on the sales ban , which mean that the ban is back in effect beginning January 18 at 5 pm . ET . To continue selling the ticker , Apple has removed the blood - oxygen detector ’s functionality while the display case works its way through the courts .
The initial proscription live on only a few days , with an appeal court deed over Apple ’s postulation for atemporary stay , but the time to come remains unsettled . The company wants the banning to be paused for the entire solicitation process , which could last a year or more and well take us through to the launch of the next contemporaries of Apple Watches , but the ITC for one finds Apple ’s arguments for this course of action“weak and unconvincing”and achiever is by no mean value assured .
Last calendar month it begin work on a software workaround for the offending smartwatches , sound out this would fix the patent dispute to all company ’ satisfaction , and this week it emerged that US Customs has given its approval . We ’ve also learned more about the workaround itself , and it turns out the changes are far more drastic than antecedently surmise . Rather than tweak or even redesigning the process by which the watches value blood oxygen , the software update slay the feature of speech entirely . patently , Apple is n’t going to physically remove the sensor from the equipment , but it ’s handicapped for this purpose at least by a computer software suppression . This was unveil by Masimo ( as reported byBloomberg ) , with whom the custom agency share its findings .
“ Apple ’s claim that its redesigned watch does not contain pulse oximetry is a positive step toward accountability , ” the society commented . “ It is especially important that one of the world ’s large and most brawny companies respect the intellectual property rights of smaller companies and complies with ITC edict when it is caught run afoul . ”
venerate not , the firmware update does not apply to any watch shipped before January 18 . If you have a Series 9 or any older Apple Watch with a blood - oxygen detector , it will figure out as it should . To match whether your watch has the sensor enabled , point to theGeneraltab in the options app , thenAboutandModel , and tap to see thePart Number . Watches that have the rip oxygen detector disabled have part numbers that end with the lettersLW / Awhile workings models end withLL / A.
The O saturation ( SpO2 ) sensor arrived with the Apple Watch Series 6 and pack on‑demand Reading of your stemma - oxygen level as well as background reading throughout the day and night . Apple accentuate that it ’s for “ wellness purposes only , ” but thefeature has been creditedwith saving lives .
