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Apple Watch 6 Might Include Pulse Oximeter Benefitting PF Patients
Alright forum friends — where are my Apple Watch users at?
How the Apple Watch can benefit those of us with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was a very popular discussion topic earlier this year. Many forum members, myself included, purchased the Apple Watch series 5 for the health tracking benefits it has, but also for the fall detection feature where 911 could be alerted at the touch of a button or even automatically, if needed. I have to admit, having the Apple Watch has brought me a lot of comfort as I continue to recover from various setbacks because I know I have access to emergency services at all times if ever needed. It was a wonderful Christmas gift!
One thing that many forum members talked about was wishing that the new Series 5 Apple Watch had a build in oximeter to measure oxygen levels. Well, here’s some exciting news! Our wonderful forums member @duncan-fowler sent me an article on the new Apple Watch 6 which revealed leaks about the features it will include. That article can be found HERE. Looks like a pulse oximeter will be built into this new watch! I can’t say that I’ll replace my current series 5 watch with the new one, as that seems a bit excessive knowing that the watch I have is not very old, but something for those considering the Apple Watch to keep in mind when the 6 is released.
If you’re an Apple Watch wearer, do you find it beneficial to have as a patient living with IPF/PF?
If so, how?
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6 Replies
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I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 that has an oximeter function. Unfortunately during an update of Samsung Health app they decided to eliminate the stand-alone oximeter function and it’s tracking function and incorporate it into a fairly useless “stress” function which doesn’t include oximeter tracking or history, just the current value, which I still use frequently when I don’t have my regular oximeter with me.
Although I am not a big fan of Apple products (won’t go into the reasons now) I might be interested in looking at the new version. Hope it will work with the face on the inside of the wrist – after breaking many watch crystals while on submarines over several years I am just too used to wearing a watch “backwards” with the face on the inside.
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Delighted to hear Apple are finally adding the Pulse Ox feature. As a happy Apple Watch user I stopped waiting for them some time ago and bought the Garmin Fenix 6s which has the pulse ox feature. It works quite well and it synchronises with the Garmin app on the iPhone so I can track SpO2 levels over time. I should say that it’s not as responsive as an Nonin finger oximeter but it’s very good at tracking levels while sleeping.
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I hope it will work how you prefer to wear it as well William! Right now the sensor on my watch pressed into my wrist on a pulse point (I think, that is how it gets the heart rate readings) so I’m not sure it will work facing up but it might. Good question to ask if the new Apple Watch does include an 02 reader. I’m really curious to hear confirmation on whether it does or not, as the website was ‘leaked’ information so I am hoping so! Take care and do circle back if you find out anything more on the Watch or other trackers using 02 monitoring 🙂
Charlene. -
That’s really interesting to hear Liam, thanks for sharing! I know it is always of interest to forum members to hear of trackers that monitor our pulse ox so I’ll keep this in mind when others connect with me about it. I am also a very happy Apple Watch user, though not sure I can justify replacing my series 5 with the 6 just yet. Do you think you’ll end up purchasing the new series 6 Watch as a result of this feature?
Charlene.
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I think I will enjoy my Fenix 6s For now and see how the Apple series 6 manages the pulse ox. If it’s more responsive then I will consider changing, however, it’s not just about the reading but also about the software app on the iPhone. At the moment I have the Garmin Fenix 6s with associated iPhone app that records my SpO2 and heart rate, steps and sleep patterns. I also have an app called PatientMpower that records my SpO2 using a Nonin oximeter and my FVC and FeV1 using a spirometer. PatientMpower have just introduced recording of a 6 min walk test but I haven’t tried it out yet. I know this probably all sounds a little complicated but I feel that I need to take control of my stats so I can have meaningful reviews with my respiratory team
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Great approach Liam, makes total sense and seems very well thought out to me! Kudos to you for taking control of the aspects of this disease that we can manage. I also think I’ll see how the Apple Watch 6 fares, along with keeping up with software upgrades, etc. That is one downfall I find difficult to manage with Apple devices. In any case, really glad you have something that is working for you. Thanks again for sharing and stay well.
Charlene.
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