The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Masimo, leading Apple to disable the SpO2 feature on new models sold in the U.S. starting in early 2024.

The absence of this key health feature may damage Apple's reputation in the health tech sector, especially as competitors like Samsung and Fitbit continue to offer SpO2 tracking.

Users who purchased their Apple Watch before mid-January 2024 retain the SpO2 functionality, but replacements under warranty may lack the feature.

Apple has not reinstated the blood oxygen monitoring feature in the Apple Watch due to ongoing legal issues with Masimo, which has accused Apple of patent infringement.

As a result of these legal challenges, users in the U.S. cannot access the blood oxygen feature, despite the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models being equipped to measure it.

An appeal by Apple to continue selling watches with blood oxygen capabilities was denied by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, officially banning them as of January 18, 2024.

As of April 2025, the blood oxygen monitoring feature remains disabled for all new units sold in the U.S., including the latest models like the Series 10.

Bloomberg reported that there are currently no plans to reinstate the blood oxygen function on new Apple Watch models, despite the hardware supporting it.

The ruling against Apple in December 2023 led to a sales halt of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S., exacerbating the situation.

Apple has chosen not to pursue further legal action to restore the blood oxygen monitoring feature, leaving its return uncertain.

If Apple does not buy the patents or develop compliant technology, the feature may not return until at least August 2028, potentially with the Apple Watch Series 14.

The accuracy of the blood oxygen measurements has faced criticism since its introduction in 2020, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when monitoring respiratory health became crucial.