Apple today released watchOS 11 after several months of beta testing. According to Apple, a major new health-related feature included in the software update is sleep apnea detection, which is available starting today on Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in more than 150 countries and regions.
The list of countries includes the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and many more, a full list of which is available on Apple's website. Some English-speaking countries where the feature is not yet available are Australia and Canada, as Apple is still seeking regulatory approval for the feature in some regions.
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which a person's breathing repeatedly stops and starts while asleep. According to Apple, this detection feature uses the Apple Watch's accelerometer to “monitor small movements on the wrist that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns.” According to Apple, if these interruptions occur repeatedly over multiple nights, they may be associated with sleep apnea.
Apple Watch users can view their nighttime breathing disturbances in the Health app on iPhone, with disturbances categorized as “increased” or “not increased.”
Apple says the feature was developed using “advanced machine learning” and a “comprehensive data set of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests”, and then validated in “clinical studies”. According to Apple, the feature is intended to detect symptoms of moderate to severe sleep apnea in people 18 years of age or older who have not been previously diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Apple recently received FDA approval for this feature in the US, and the company has shared a document describing the development and validation of the feature.
The new Apple Watch Series 10 is launching on Friday, while the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were launched last year.