Apple Watch to provide hypertension alerts via watchOS 26

Apple is rolling out a new Hypertension Notifications feature for the Apple Watch that will notify users if the device detects patterns suggestive of high blood pressure, the company said this week. The capability, announced alongside the new Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3, is available with watchOS 26 on compatible watches beginning with Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, and requires an iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26, wrist detection to be enabled, and users to be at least 22 years old, not pregnant, and not previously diagnosed with hypertension.

Apple said the feature does not require new hardware. Instead, the watch analyzes data collected by its existing optical heart sensor using a new algorithm to detect changes in blood volume that can indicate hypertension. The company said the system needs 30 days of data after setup in the iPhone Health app before it can begin issuing alerts, and it evaluates patterns over 30 day periods. Users who receive an alert are prompted to start a Blood Pressure Log in the Health app and measure their blood pressure with a third party cuff device for seven days, with Apple recommending they share those readings with a healthcare...