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Incident · Regulatory action

Apple disabled Blood Oxygen on US Apple Watch to comply with a Masimo ITC exclusion order

After the ITC found the Apple Watch Series 9 / Ultra 2 pulse-oximetry infringed two Masimo patents (Section 337 limited exclusion + cease-and-desist; effective Dec 26 2023), Apple shipped US units from Jan 18 2024 with the Blood Oxygen (SpO2) feature DISABLED in software to keep selling. The feature was RE-ENABLED in the US on Aug 14 2025 via a redesign that offloads SpO2 processing to the paired iPhone, after CBP cleared the change (Aug 1 2025; iOS 18.6.1 / watchOS 11.6.1). A new ITC investigation into the redesign opened Nov 14 2025; an ALJ found NO infringement (Mar 19 2026) and the ITC closed it (~Apr 17 2026); the redesigned feature remains live. Apple's load-bearing disabled-feature exemplar.

Occurred 2024-01-18 · Apple Watch

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (2)

  1. STAT · https://www.statnews.com/2023/12/26/apple-watch-itc-import-ban-masimo-pulse-oximetry/
  2. Apple · https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/08/an-update-on-blood-oxygen-for-apple-watch-in-the-us/

Common questions

What happened in Apple disabled Blood Oxygen on US Apple Watch to comply with a Masimo ITC exclusion order?
After the ITC found the Apple Watch Series 9 / Ultra 2 pulse-oximetry infringed two Masimo patents (Section 337 limited exclusion + cease-and-desist; effective Dec 26 2023), Apple shipped US units from Jan 18 2024 with the Blood Oxygen (SpO2) feature DISABLED in software to keep selling. The feature was RE-ENABLED in the US on Aug 14 2025 via a redesign that offloads SpO2 processing to the paired iPhone, after CBP cleared the change (Aug 1 2025; iOS 18.6.1 / watchOS 11.6.1). A new ITC investigation into the redesign opened Nov 14 2025; an ALJ found NO infringement (Mar 19 2026) and the ITC closed it (~Apr 17 2026); the redesigned feature remains live. Apple's load-bearing disabled-feature exemplar.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on January 18, 2024 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Apple disabled Blood Oxygen on US Apple Watch to comply with a Masimo ITC exclusion order?
Apple Watch is the recorded robot involved in this incident.
Has anyone responded to Apple disabled Blood Oxygen on US Apple Watch to comply with a Masimo ITC exclusion order?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Apple disabled Blood Oxygen on US Apple Watch to comply with a Masimo ITC exclusion order?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-04

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-04

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Apple disabled Blood Oxygen on US Apple Watch to comply with a Masimo ITC exclusion order.

Canonical ID 0e168005-0846-438c-8c29-c3217a72dce0