Apple has introduced a new hypertension notification feature for the Apple Watch, expanding its role in heart health monitoring. The feature uses the watch’s optical heart sensor to analyze how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat, with an algorithm reviewing data over 30-day periods. If it detects consistent signs of Hypertension, it will alert the user.
Apple stated that the feature was trained on data from over 100,000 participants and validated in a clinical study of more than 2,000 people. The company expects regulatory clearance soon, with rollout planned across 150+ countries this month.
“Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of heart attack and stroke, yet millions remain undiagnosed,” said Harlan Krumholz, cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital. “Making accurate detection easy and part of daily life can help people get care earlier and prevent avoidable harm.”
The Apple Watch already includes an ECG app for detecting Atrial fibrillation, a Heart Rate app for continuous monitoring with high and low heart rate notifications, and irregular rhythm alerts.
The new hypertension notifications will be available on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, including Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, running watchOS 26.