Apple Watch Could Get 'Big New Health Features' This 2022 | Temperature and Blood Glucose Tracking

Urian B., Tech Times 01 September 2021, 09:09 pm

The Apple Watch could be getting some "big new health features" this 2022 including temperature and blood glucose tracking. Sadly for those that want to avail these features, they will only be available in 2022.

Apple Watch Series 7 Model

Analysts as well as reporters have published certain conflicting reports regarding what to expect from the upcoming Apple Watch. Some of them, like Nikkei, claimed that the watch will have new health sensors. Others, like Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, noted that this year's model will now offer no major new hardware features amidst the whole production constraints.

The Wall Street Journal also just published a report that claims that a number of new health-sensing features are reportedly coming to the Apple Watch, just not for the 2021 model. The Journal's sources notes that an upcoming Apple Watch, which isn't the current Apple Watch Series 7 model, will be including some more advanced sleep tracking like the actual ability to detect sleep apnea.

Battery a Factor for the Apple Watch

In order to accomplish this, the company is now looking into ways to allow the device to obtain sensor data overnight without it being taxing on the battery. This has been a barrier for the Apple Watch in competing with other sleep-tracking wearables coming from companies like Fitbit and others. Due to changes in the design, the Apple Watch Series 7 has reportedly been behind in production.

According to ArsTechnica, the report now claims that Apple also plans to add a new sensor to help measure the body's temperature. This could reportedly contribute to the above sleep-tracking improvements as well as other things like assisting when it comes to tracking ovulation. It would also reportedly help a user check if they are experiencing fever.

FDA Approval for Apple Watch

As of the moment, Apple is also looking into ways for users to track their blood glucose levels in order to help wearers that are at risk of diabetes. Apple, however, is still struggling to implement these actual features and the efforts in order to make this happen has already apparently been going on for a couple of years. Apple employees are getting together for the #AppleToo movement sharing stories of discrimination they experienced within the company.

The Journal's main sources noted that all of these features are now still in development and could also be ultimately cancelled. They do, however, drive home a point that has already been quite clear in Apple's earnings call as well as event keynotes. It was mentioned that health tracking with wearables will reportedly be a keypart in the company's very own product strategy moving forward. This is especially true with the Apple Watch.

In addition, the sources reportedly state that Apple is aggressively looking for FDA approval for the new additions that would come in the form of software updates to the existing Apple Watch models. Examples reportedly included a notification whenever blood pressure levels suddenly drop in addition to the users' ability to be able to seek out a reading manually, as well as individuals with atrial fibrillation could do long-term tracking with the Apple Watch.

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Written by Urian B.