Sleep Apnea detection is an all-new feature that’s first introduced alongside the Apple Watch Series 10 earlier this month. It uses the accelerometer to track small wrist movements associated with disruptions in normal respiratory patterns, while a new algorithm analyses the data and alerts users if there are consistent signs of the breathing disorder. Furthermore, this feature won’t be exclusive to the Watch Series 10, as it will also be available on last year’s Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models.
As useful as it sounds, Sleep Apnea detection won’t be immediately accessible in Malaysia, however. This is confirmed by an Apple representative, who told us that the new feature has yet to receive clearance from local authorities. That said, it did get the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just recently, and has been made available to the Watch Series 10, Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 users in the country via a software update.
This isn’t the first time for such features to be locked away. As you may recall, Apple’s electrocardiogram (ECG) tool was only made available in Malaysia three years after its initial introduction back on Watch models back in 2018. Reason being that it is considered as a medical-related feature, which requires approval from relevant authorities before it can be used. In Malaysia’s case, responsible for regulating this is the Ministry of Health’s Medical Device Authority (MDA).
The representative added that Apple has already submitted a request for Sleep Apnea detection feature’s approval to the MDA, but has yet to receive a response. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that we might see it get activated in Malaysia within the shortest possible time.
On the flip side, at least the blood oxygen monitoring feature is available to us, despite being inaccessible to those in the US. Lest you forget, Apple is still engaged in a legal dispute with medical device company Masimo, which accused the iPhone maker of infringing its patented pulse oximeter technology. This resulted in the feature getting removed entirely from Watch models that are released in the US, including the newly launched Series 10 as well as reissued units of the Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2.
