Apple Targets Sleep Apnea & Hearing Loss with New Features

Apple is dipping back into healthcare with two new features.

The Cupertino, CA-based company unveiled a sleep apnea detection feature on its Apple Watch and built-in hearing aids for the AirPods Pro 2.

The consumer tech giant said it was waiting for a nod from the FDA and other regulatory bodies before it launched the sleep apnea feature. Apple is able to look for signs of sleep apnea through its breathing disturbances metric which uses the accelerometer to detect small movements at the wrist associated with interruptions to normal respiratory patterns during sleep.

Every 30 days, Apple Watch will analyze breathing disturbance data and notify users if it shows consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea so they can speak to their doctor about the next steps, including potential diagnosis and treatment.

The company noted that users can view their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app, where they are classified as elevated or not elevated and can be viewed over a one-month, six-month, or one-year period.

Apple said its software-based Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are expected to receive marketing authorization from global health authorities soon and will be available this fall in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan.

Related:Apple Jumps on Wearables Bandwagon With "One More Thing" - Apple Watch

AirPods Pro adds an over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability for users with mild to moderate hearing loss. After setup, the feature enables personalized dynamic adjustments so users have the sounds around them boosted in real-time.

Apple noted users can also set up the Hearing Aid feature with an audiogram created by a hearing health professional.

“At Apple, we believe that technology can help you live a healthier life, and we’re excited to enable incredible new health capabilities for serious conditions that affect billions of people around the world while continuing to keep user data private,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health. “With Apple Watch, we continue to offer our users the ability to uncover important health conditions with new sleep apnea notifications. And on AirPods Pro, powerful features put users’ hearing health front and center, bringing new ways to help test for and receive assistance for hearing loss.”

Apple is no stranger to the healthcare space. Earlier this year, the company received a nod from FDA to use the Apple Watch’s atrial fibrillation tracking features in clinical studies.

The company has also been involved in patent spats with AliveCor and Masimo.

Related:Apple Launches New Healthcare Platform

However, Apple’s biggest leap into healthcare occurred in 2018 when the company won nods from FDA for its ECG app and another for its software-only mobile medical app analyzing pulse rates for irregular rhythms.