Overview
- Apple activated hypertension alerts for Apple Watch users in India, with support limited to Series 9–11 and Ultra 2–3 on watchOS 26 set up through the Health app.
- A day earlier, Apple expanded the same alert to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, alongside new Sleep Apnea notifications in Colombia and broader AirPods hearing features in Europe and Latin America.
- The alert analyzes background photoplethysmography data over a rolling 30‑day window and does not measure blood pressure directly or deliver on‑demand readings.
- Apple says the model was trained on data from over 100,000 people and clinically validated in more than 2,000 participants, with media citing sensitivity around 41% and specificity about 92%, and the company projects more than one million users could be notified in the first year.
- Eligibility excludes those under 22, pregnant users, and people already diagnosed with hypertension, and Apple advises anyone notified to log cuff‑based blood pressure for seven days and consult a clinician.