Apple releases watchOS 11.6.1, here’s what’s new

Apple has released watchOS 11.6.1 for Apple Watch, reintroducing the Blood Oxygen app for certain customers in the United States. The update works in tandem with iOS 18.6.1, also released today, and marks the first time the feature has been available on new watch hardware since late 2023.

Until now, launching the Blood Oxygen app on affected Apple Watch models displayed a blunt message: “The Blood Oxygen app is no longer available. Learn more in the Health app on your iPhone.” That limitation applied to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 units sold in the US after Apple was forced to disable the feature following a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo.

With watchOS 11.6.1 and iOS 18.6.1, Apple is rolling out a redesigned version of the feature that shifts calculation from the watch to the paired iPhone.

The watch still gathers the necessary sensor data, but processing happens on the iPhone, and results are displayed in the Health app. It’s less convenient than instant on-watch readings, but it’s better than nothing for users who have gone without the function entirely.

Background blood oxygen measurements also return using the new methodology.

Apple says the update is available “for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users in the U.S. who do not have the original Blood Oxygen feature.” The company is still fighting the underlying legal battle but says the workaround restores access to oxygen saturation data in some form.

You can update to watchOS 11.6.1 through the Watch app on iPhone by navigating to General > Software Update after installing iOS 18.6.1.

Here are the release notes:

This update provides a new Blood Oxygen experience for users in the United States with Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Measurements are calculated on iPhone and viewed in the Health app.

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100

After updating to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, the iPhone and Apple Watch will also retrieve an over-the-air file to activate the redesigned blood oxygen feature. While this process can take up to 24 hours, users can open the Health app on the iPhone and the ECG app on the Apple Watch to initiate the download sooner.

iOS 26 and watchOS 26, currently in developer and public beta, do not yet include this redesigned method. With no user-supported way to downgrade Apple Watch from the beta and both major updates expected next month, hopefully the workaround arrives in a future beta build.

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