Apple Watch ban update — Apple reportedly ready to remove this feature

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Apple may strip the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 of blood oxygen monitoring

Apple Watch Series 9 bands
(Image credit: Future)

Apple may have found a way to evade the ongoing Apple Watch ban, and allow the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to remain on sale in the United States. And it reportedly comes down to removing the blood oxygen monitoring feature.

The ban arose after the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed on patents relating to blood oxygen sensing tech — which is owned by Masimo. While it was ruled the infringing technology had been in place since the Apple Watch Series 6, only the latest Apple smartwatches were briefly pulled from sale — though Apple was later permitted to continue sales while it appealed the decision.

It was rumored that Apple would disable the infringing tech via a software update, in order to circumvent the ban and continue selling its latest wearables in the U.S. Now it seems that plan has been confirmed by Masimo (via Bloomberg). The company is reported to have said U.S. Customs and Border Protection have approved the move, deciding “that Apple’s redesign falls outside the scope” of an import ban.

The workaround is software based, meaning that the physical makeup of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are going unchanged. It’s unclear whether this means Apple Watches sold outside the U.S. will continue to offer blood oxygen monitoring, or if Apple will end up enacting the change on a global scale. 

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.