Apple Watch Takes Blood Pressure, AirPods Act as Hearing Aids, and More Upcoming Features

The smartwatches we wear on our wrists every day are gaining more and more features as time goes on. Initially, smartwatches mainly served as an auxiliary function for smartphones. Without pulling out the smartphone, users could check various notifications and send simple replies to text messages.

As time passed, various features were added to smartwatches. Among them, health management functions have developed the most diversely. For example, the Apple Watch, which iPhone users mainly purchase, provides various health management functions based on the latest operating system, WatchOS 10, including measuring activity indexes such as step count and distance, exercise measurement, sleep monitoring, heart rate measurement, stress index measurement, menstrual cycle tracking, blood oxygen concentration measurement, and electrocardiogram measurement. It’s no exaggeration to say that these are core features of the Apple Watch.

However, Apple seems to be planning to introduce more features. In a column written on November 1st (local time), Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, a foreign media outlet well-informed about Apple news, revealed several health management features Apple is developing.

A sneak peek at the health management features Apple will introduce

Mark Gurman claimed a 2024 roadmap detailing health management features to be introduced into Apple products and services. He announced that various health management functions will be added to the Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, and Health app next year.

The Apple Watch is slated to have a blood pressure measurement function applied in two stages. Initially, it will monitor whether the wearer’s blood pressure rises and record if it is perceived as high. Later, it will be updated with a function to display systolic and diastolic blood pressure numerically and diagnose the current state.

Also, next year, a function to detect sleep apnea will be added to the Apple Watch. If an abnormality is detected during sleep, it will be recorded, and the wearer will be notified and guided to consult a doctor.

The blood oxygen saturation measurement function is also expected to improve. As the Apple Watch is not a medical device, it can display oxygen saturation levels, but it cannot interpret the data. It is speculated that this is because it violates current related laws. It is reported that Apple is considering requesting approval for health regulations so that users can get more detailed information.

The Health app may add a paid coaching service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recommend meals, sleep, and exercise based on data collected from Apple devices. This includes a function that recognizes the user’s exercise posture through the camera when running the Health app on the iPhone and provides feedback.

The AirPods are expected to add a hearing aid function. It is expected to resemble the Bose HearPhone or Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which amplifies and reproduces surrounding sounds. Meanwhile, a hearing test is also likely possible with the AirPods. According to reports, this test is equivalent to those conducted by hearing specialists.

The mixed reality (MR) headset ‘Vision Pro,’ which Apple is about to release soon, seems to be introducing a meditation function that helps mental health and a virtual reality system. An entire body tracking system that recognizes the wearer’s eye movement to diagnose cognitive disorders and the movement of the wearer’s legs during exercise is also under development.

Easy health check without medical devices… But the actual introduction is still to be seen

Not many homes have medical devices such as blood pressure monitors and thermometers on hand for each type. This is because they are expensive and no suitable place to store them. On the other hand, if health management functions that perform similar functions are installed in small electronic devices such as the Apple Watch, it is expected that you will be able to easily check and record your health status without having to buy external medical devices.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to guarantee that the health-related features Apple is developing will be reflected. According to Bloomberg, Apple has not a few projects that it has discontinued. Notably, there are projects such as a function to record nutrients ingested by the user in the Health app, a blood pressure measurement accessory for the Apple Watch, an Apple Watch strap with a built-in biometric signal measurement sensor, and a sensor accessory project that monitors the user’s sleep pattern when mounted on a bed or bedside table. The features revealed by the media based on the roadmap data may also be canceled or delayed.

By. Lee Byung Chan