Sleep apnea detection is one of the most notable new features coming to the new Apple Watch Series 10, as well as last year's Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2

However, the feature was marked with an asterisk when it was announced at Apple's event, and Apple had not yet received FDA approval to use the feature as of last week But now, according to an entry on the FDA's website published on the morning of September 16, Apple has received approval in time for the launch of watchOS 11

I had been feeling like I was having trouble sleeping for some time and thought I might have sleep apnea Instead of doing the intelligent thing and consulting a doctor, I ignored the problem Now that I have a better understanding of whether I have sleep apnea without having to do a sleep study, I want to resolve my sleep issues as soon as possible Of course, I will need to see a doctor after going through the Apple process, but this is a step in the right direction for me

According to Apple's Newsroom announcement, the feature is “intended to detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea in people 18 and older who have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea” In other words, it is not a true sleep apnea diagnosis, but a likely detection that can then be brought to a physician to seek treatment

According to the FDA, the sleep apnea detection feature of the Apple Watch is an “Over-The-Counter Device To Assess Risk Of Sleep Apnea” (a commercially available device that assesses the risk of sleep apnea) and “Substantially Substantially Equivalent” to the Over-The-Counter Device To Assess Risk Of Sleep Apnea In essence, it means that it functions similarly to devices designed for sleep apnea detection

The approval was officially granted on September 13, 2024, but it took some time before it was published Apple submitted its request on 04/04/2024, which means that this feature has been in development for some time

However, not all Apple Watch owners will be able to use this feature The feature is built into watchOS 11 and works on Series 6 and later, but is only supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2

watchOS 11 officially applies to supported devices today (September 16) Again, sleep apnea notifications are only available on Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, but watchOS 11 has many other exciting features that older devices should look forward to

I plan to give this feature a try If the Apple Watch thinks I have sleep apnea, I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor to finally get my sleep issues resolved

This is not Apple's first recent health feature approval The company also received approval for a hearing aid feature for its AirPods Pro 2 This feature allows users to use their regular headphones to enhance sound and hear what is happening around them, much like a traditional hearing aid

Between the sleep apnea notification and the hearing aid feature, it is clear that Apple is putting considerable effort into the health feature, which is great for users