Sleep apnoea tool arrives on Apple Watch, hearing health on AirPods Pro 2

Apple has introduced advanced health features with its latest releases: the Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods Pro 2. The new Apple Watch will provide notifications for sleep apnoea, while the AirPods Pro 2 will offer the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience.

Both products were revealed at Apple's “Its Glowtime” event on Monday at Apple Park, California.

Sumbul Desai, MD, Apple’s VP of Health, stated, “With the new Apple Watch, we’re empowering users to detect important health conditions with sleep apnoea notifications. Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro now include powerful features focused on hearing health, offering new ways to test and assist with hearing loss.”

The sleep apnoea detection, a first for Apple Watch, is available on Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Using advanced machine learning and a comprehensive data set, the new algorithm tracks sleep patterns and detects apnoea, a condition characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep. It utilizes the watch's accelerometer to monitor wrist movements related to breathing disruptions.

This feature will be available in 150 countries after approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The new watch is also slimmer with a larger display and retains previous health features like Afib alerts and the ECG app.

Additionally, AirPods Pro now includes active Loud Sound Reduction and a clinically validated hearing test, along with a software-based hearing aid feature. This new hearing aid option makes access to hearing assistance more affordable. These features are expected to gain global health authority approvals and will be available in over 100 countries later this year.

Since the launch of the Health app in 2014, Apple has introduced numerous health-focused features across its devices.