Apple to bring back blood oxygen feature to some smartwatches amid lawsuit

Core Viewpoint - Apple is set to introduce a blood oxygen measurement feature for certain Apple Watch models following approval from the US government, amidst ongoing legal disputes with Masimo over pulse oximetry technology [1][2]. Group 1: Legal Context - Masimo has accused Apple of hiring its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology after discussions for potential collaboration [2][5]. - The US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in favor of Masimo, blocking imports of Apple watches with the blood oxygen feature, which led Apple to remove the feature and initiate a lengthy appeals process [3][7]. - Apple temporarily resumed sales of the affected watches after persuading the Federal Circuit to pause the import ban, but the ban was reinstated the following month [8]. Group 2: Product Features and Updates - The software update will allow users of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US to view their blood oxygen levels on a paired iPhone [1]. - Users can initiate a session in the blood oxygen app on their Apple Watch, which will collect data to be processed by the iPhone for display [4]. - Apple first introduced pulse oximetry in its Series 6 Apple Watches in 2020, while Masimo launched its own blood oxygen tracking watch in 2022 [4].