New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): Apple on Thursday introduced new health-focused features for users in India, enabling sleep apnea notifications on Apple Watch and a clinically validated hearing test on AirPods Pro, aimed at helping users detect potential health conditions and monitor their wellbeing through wearable devices. The sleep apnea notification feature works through a new Breathing Disturbances metric that uses the Apple Watch’s accelerometer to detect wrist movements associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns during sleep, analysing breathing disturbance data every 30 days and alerting users if it detects consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea. Users can also export a PDF report containing breathing disturbance data to support discussions with healthcare professionals. Apple noted that sleep apnea affects more than one billion people globally and often remains undiagnosed, potentially increasing the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues if left untreated.
AirPods Pro users in India will now be able to access a clinically validated hearing test based on pure-tone audiometry that can be completed in around five minutes using AirPods Pro paired with a compatible iPhone or iPad, with users receiving a summary of their hearing levels including loss measurements for each ear, classifications, and recommendations. The results, including an audiogram, will be securely stored in the Health app and can be shared with healthcare providers. The Hearing Test feature is supported on AirPods Pro 2 and later models running the latest firmware paired with compatible devices using iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 and above. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s Vice President of Health and Fitness, described the launch as bringing “meaningful capabilities” to users in India, underscoring the company’s growing focus on health monitoring through its wearable ecosystem.