Apple gets the FDA green light for Hypertension Notification feature

Apple launched its new Watches – the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 – earlier this week, but one important feature came with a asterisk.

The Hypertension Notification feature, available on Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, uses an optical sensor and machine learning to track and monitor signs of hypertension over a period of time. If high blood pressure is detected, the user will be nudged to check it out.

The only potential issue? At the time, Apple didn't have FDA clearance to launch the feature.

Now, we can report that that's been all sorted out. On Friday, Apple announced that the Hypertension Notification has been cleared by the FDA.

The delay wasn't a huge deal given that the new watches aren't available yet. Now, Apple says the feature will be available next week in more than 150 countries and regions around the world, including the U.S.

The cool news is that you don't really need the latest hardware to get these notifications; it comes with watchOS 26, and some of the older Watch models are supported, too. According to Apple, Hypertension Notification feature is available on Apple Watch Series 9 or later, as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later.