Apple has rolled out a new feature in India that allows Apple Watch users to receive alerts for potential high blood pressure. The update is available on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. It aims to help users monitor their heart health more closely. Here are the details.
Hypertension Monitoring on Apple Watch
The new Hypertension Notifications feature on Apple Watch is designed to give users a heads-up if their heart patterns indicate potential high blood pressure. Apple Watch collects data through its optical heart sensor over 30 days. It analyses it to spot changes in blood vessel behaviour that could suggest hypertension.
Apple Watch does not measure blood pressure directly. Instead, it identifies patterns that may indicate elevated blood pressure and sends a notification to the user. If a notification appears, Apple recommends measuring blood pressure for seven days using a standard cuff-based monitor.
Why It Matters For Users?
High blood pressure or hypertension is often called the “silent killer” because it may not show symptoms until serious complications occur. Apple Watch can encourage earlier monitoring and medical consultation. This can be especially helpful for people who do not regularly check their blood pressure:
Professor Dorairaj Prabhakaran, the Centre for Chronic Disease Control’s executive director and the World Heart Federation’s president-elect, said,
“Hypertension is one of the most widespread yet under-diagnosed health conditions. Integrating opportunistic detection into a device people already wear daily will democratise access for early detection and help people have more informed conversations with their doctors”
How to Enable Hypertension Notifications on Apple Watch?
Here’s what to do:
- Tap your profile icon in the top‑right corner of the Health app.
- Under “Features,” tap Health Checklist.
- Tap Hypertension Notifications (or “Set Up” below “Hypertension Notifications”).
- Confirm your age and whether you have been diagnosed with hypertension.
- Tap Continue, then Next, to read how notifications work.
- Tap Done when finished.
Once set up, the Apple Watch will start collecting heart sensor data. It needs about 30 days to detect patterns and notify you about high blood pressure risk.
Things to Keep in Mind
The Hypertension Notifications feature is designed to remind users about heart health concerns and encourage proactive health monitoring. However, this feature also has its boundaries and important to keep them in mind,
- The feature does not directly measure blood pressure.
- It is not intended to replace medical consultation.
- Some users with hypertension may not receive alerts.
So, if you are looking for direct blood pressure monitoring, you can use home cuff-based monitors or smart BP monitors, approved by health authorities.
The feature is currently available for users aged 22 and above. It is not meant for pregnant individuals or people already diagnosed with hypertension.
