The Apple Watch’s heart-rate monitor is pretty damned cool, but it’s the one piece of the new smartwatch that’s seeing the most updates and tweaks since the hardware launched seven weeks ago.
A new patent suggests that Apple has even more changes in store for the health tech.
The filing, which comes courtesy of Patently Apple (don’t look directly at the headline on that article), outlines a process for the Apple Watch to calculate heart rate based on readings from two diodes. But big surprise, right? That’s how the thing already works. But that’s not all.
Apple’s patent describes a method to gather heart-rate data by analyzing data from one diode that is in contact with the skin and one that is not. And that could make the readings even more accurate.
Currently, your Apple Watch flashes green light onto your skin and then reads the fluctuations in how well your blood absorbs it as your heart beats. You have more blood in your skin during beats, which soaks up more green light, and the Watch counts those spikes to determine your pulse.
The first watchOS update had users wondering if the new software had broken their gear, with the promised “every 10 minutes” monitoring modified to be “every 10 minutes, unless you’re moving.” Apple stripped out the feature to maintain maintain accurate resting heart rate readings. If you use the Watch’s Workout app to tell it you’re exercising, however, those green lights will stay on constantly.
The current system depends on the light sensors maintaining contact with the skin, and during an exercise, it’s possible that the Watch could shift of move and affect accuracy. But this update could solve that problem and ensure clear readings even if you’re bouncing around like a crazy person. It’s not clear if this method of sensor-reading is possible on the current version, however, but if Apple decides to follow through with it, we can certainly expect it in the Apple Watch 2.
Evan Killham is a freelance writer who lives in Nebraska and isn’t interested in football, so he has plenty of time to play and think about video games. He has written for Bitmob and GamesBeat and sometimes, he even goes outside. But not too often because he’s heard there are bees out there. Occasionally, companies send free units for review. Evan subscribes to Cult of Mac’s Reviews Policy and also does not keep the items he receives for possible coverage.
5 responses to “Patent hints at fixing Apple Watch’s heart-rate monitor”
“Apple stripped out the feature to avoid false readings due to faulty contact during strenuous workouts, when the Watch might shift or bounce leading to improper skin contact on the diodes and inconsistent readings.”
reference to this? because it still takes consistent readings when set to an activity mode like running in 1.01.
there’s another reason that makes far more sense that conflicts with this claim, so i’d like to see the reference for this, if in fact it’s Apple’s official explanation for the change. the other reason it was changed is because outside of an activity mode, the heart rate monitoring is used to calculate resting calories burned, so if you’re not resting, any increased heart rate readings would negatively affect your resting caloric burn rate. taking a reading only when your arm has been still for at least 10 minutes would lead to more accuracy as opposed to every 10 minutes regardless of your activity level affecting your heart rate.
Agreed. Apple only made changes to the 10 min HR reading when you are NOT in a workout program.
If you do workout and in the program, the HR sensor still reads it frequently just like before.
This is embarrassing of an iOS site to not even know their own stuff!
You’re right — I’ve updated the post to be more clear and accurate. Thanks!
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