How to use the blood oxygen monitor on the Apple Watch 6

Apple introduced the blood oxygen level monitoring feature with Apple Watch 6. Taking a blood oxygen reading is fairly simple, but there are automatic measurement settings that you should be aware of as well as the necessary tips for getting accurate measurements, all of which you can learn through this article which is a complete guide on how to use this feature.

How do blood oxygen readings work on an Apple Watch

The Apple Watch 6 is equipped with an oxygen sensor in addition to 4 green, red and infrared LEDs that highlight the blood vessels in the wrist, in addition to Photodiodes that measure the amount of light reflected on the back of the watch. Then custom algorithms resulting from this process are used to calculate the blood color, which is an indication of the amount of oxygen in the blood, so that the bright red blood is well oxidized, while the dark blood contains less oxygen.

Apple Watch 6 can measure oxygen levels in the blood in proportions ranging between 70% and 100%. The levels of oxygen in most healthy people range from 95% to 100%, and if the percentage is lower, this means that he may have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other lung diseases.

Apple does not expect the blood oxygen measurement feature to be intended for medical use, and therefore the Apple Watch will not send a notification if it is detected that it is below the normal range.

Blood oxygen reading compatible devices

Using this feature requires Apple Watch 6 and works with the latest version of watchOS alongside iPhone 6s or later with the latest version of iOS.

Blood Oxygen is available in many countries around the world, and if you do not see it, it may not be supported in your country (without any logical reason other than that it is Apple). You can see the list of countries that support it from Here.

Note that Blood Oxygen is not available for users under the age of 18 and is not enabled when Apple is paired with an iPhone using Family Setup.

Enable blood oxygen measurements

When you set up the 6 hour, you will be prompted during the setup process if you want to enable the oxygen measurements. If you click "enable" when prompted, the feature will automatically turn on and be usable by the Blood Oxygen app.

How to take a blood oxygen measurement on an Apple Watch

◉ Make sure that the Apple Watch 6 is firmly on your wrist but comfortably, meaning it is not tight.

◉ Open the Blood Oxygen app on Apple Watch.

◉ Stay steady and make sure your wrist is straight with the watch display facing up.

◉ Press start, then keep your arm still for 15 seconds.

◉ Wait for measurements to be made, and you will see the result when complete. Then tap Done.

You can view measurements taken over days, weeks, months, and years in the Health app on the iPhone. Simply search for "Blood Oxygen".

Automatic blood oxygen readings

Apple Watch 6 can take automatic blood oxygen readings throughout the day, which is the default setting in the Apple Watch, and readings are taken irregularly during the day, so you may see these measurements several times, knowing that blood oxygen readings are not taken in many Sometimes this is because the wrist needs to be fixed in a specific direction to take accurate measurements.

Enable automatic blood oxygen readings in theater mode

The Apple Watch contains what is known as Theater mode, which makes its screen dim, so that it is not an inconvenience in dark places such as cinemas, and there is a setting in the Blood Oxygen application through which you can enable or disable readings during theater mode.

Apple says blood oxygen readings require a bright red light, and this will likely be a distraction in a dark room. Here's how to enable or disable readings in theater mode.

◉ Open the Settings app on the Apple Watch.

◉ Scroll down and tap on the Blood Oxygen app.

◉ Scroll down and enable or disable "In Theater Mode".

Automatically enable blood oxygen readings during sleep

As with theater mode, Apple has an option to disable blood oxygen readings when the Apple Watch is in Sleep Mode because bright light may be distracting in the dark. Here's how to enable or disable readings in sleep mode.

◉ Open the Settings app on the Apple Watch.

◉ Scroll down and tap on the Blood Oxygen app.

◉ Scroll down and tap "In Sleep Mode" to turn the feature on or off.

View blood oxygen data

Blood oxygen readings data is displayed on the iPhone, and it can be a bit difficult to find. Here's the easiest way to access that data.

◉ Open the Health application on the iPhone.

◉ Click on Browse at the bottom of the app.

◉ Tap on Vitals or type in search at the top of the Blood Oxygen app and search for it.

◉ Click on the reading that appears, and here you can see the average readings by day, week, month or year.

Clicking on “Show More Blood Oxygen Data” provides the most recent reading, average over time, daily average, and readings at elevated locations or during sleep if enabled by settings.

If you scroll to the bottom of the app, there is a "Show All Data" option that you can click to see all the oxygen measurements taken with specific information on date, pressure, and more.

How to turn off blood oxygen monitoring

If you do not want to use oxygen monitoring, you can disable it from the Settings app.

◉ Open the Settings app on the Apple Watch.

◉ Scroll down and tap on the Blood Oxygen app.

◉ Click on "Blood oxygen measurements" to turn it off.

If you want to re-enable blood oxygen readings at a later time, simply enable it again.

Treating problems with reading oxygen in the blood

◉ Keep your arm flat and watch face up, with your fingers open too. The blood oxygen measurements will not work if the arm is hanging down or your fingers are clenched.

◉ Make sure the watch is tightly attached to the wrist with a strap that fits well and is not too loose or too tight.

◉ Make sure that the Apple Watch is flat on the wrist and is not obstructed by the wrist bone. If it is above the wrist bone, adjust the position of the watch.

◉ For added stability, place your wrist on a table, on a flat surface, or on your knees.

Hold for 15 seconds. The quieter you are, the better.

◉ Do not click on the watch or interact with it in any other way. Tapping the screen or touching the Digital Crown can interrupt the reading.

If you've been following all of the above steps and still encountering an issue, Apple warns that there are some things that can cause bad readings like:

◉ TattooIn the area where the sensors are located, dark tattoos can cause the light that shines through the skin to measure the oxygen level to fail to work properly. There is no solution to this, unless there is an un-tattooed wrist area. While a light tattoo may not interfere with the sensor.

◉ Cold weatherIf the weather is cold, it could affect the amount of blood flowing through your arm at any time, which in turn could cause the oxygen measurement to fail.

◉ Skin perfusionSometimes the blood flow through the skin is slower, and this can vary widely from person to person. Skin perfusion is a factor in how well the oxygen measurements will work.

◉ Elevated heart rate, If your heart rate is higher than 150 beats per minute while at rest, the blood oxygen measurement feature will not work.

◉ the movement, SPO2 (oxygen) sensors tolerate little movement and may not handle at all, and arm position is a factor. Hold your arm straight with your fingers, and try not to move.

Source:

macrumors