Is Your Apple Watch Capable of Spotting High Blood Pressure?

Apple has secured clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new health tool that allows the Apple Watch to notify users about potential hypertension. The feature, called Hypertension Notifications, will be released as part of the watchOS 26 software update, now rolling out in more than 150 countries, including India.

The update extends to Apple Watch Series 9 and later models, as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 and newer versions. Users will not need the newly launched Apple Watch Series 11 to access this function.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, said hypertension is the leading preventable cause of heart attacks and strokes, but millions remain undiagnosed. “Making detection part of daily life can help people receive timely care,” he told Apple.

Hypertension, or persistent high blood pressure, affects about 1.3 billion adults worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, but often goes unnoticed due to the absence of clear symptoms.

Traditional screening often requires multiple medical visits, which can delay diagnosis. Apple’s integration of hypertension monitoring into a device worn daily seeks to bridge that gap.

The Apple Watch does not measure blood pressure directly. Instead, its optical heart sensor tracks vascular responses to each heartbeat. The system uses a machine-learning algorithm, trained on data from more than 100,000 participants, to identify patterns linked to hypertension.

Data is reviewed over a 30-day period, reducing the chance of false alarms. If repeated patterns indicate possible elevated blood pressure, the user receives a notification.

Apple advises users to treat alerts as a signal for further evaluation, not as a medical diagnosis. Those notified are encouraged to measure blood pressure with a validated monitor over several days and consult a healthcare professional, in line with American Heart Association recommendations.

The company tested the feature in a clinical trial of over 2,000 people. While not all cases can be detected, Apple estimates the tool could help more than one million people identify undiagnosed hypertension within its first year of availability.

The hypertension notification adds to Apple Watch’s expanding set of health functions, which already include ECG, irregular rhythm alerts, sleep tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and cycle tracking.

While none of these tools replace clinical diagnosis, Apple positions them as preventive measures that give users earlier insight into potential health concerns.