Apple Watch user Alex Morales affirmations that the Apple Watch records blood oxygen levels less accurately in people with dark skin. Think Apple should have let its customers know about this.
Morales stilt that Apple was aware of the incorrect oxygen percentages shown to dark-skinned users. According to him, this can lead to dangerous situations.
He says there have been reports for “decades” that the devices were less accurate at measuring blood oxygen saturation in dark-skinned people. He also makes a connection to “the structural racism that exists in many aspects of society”.
Oxygen saturation
Apple Watches have been able to measure saturation since 2020. Oxygen saturation is the amount of oxygen in the blood and is expressed as a percentage. Healthy people have a value between 95 and 99 percent.
The US regulator FDA has started recently search to the technology for measuring saturation, after it was found that special devices (pulse oximeters) recorded too high oxygen values in people with dark complexions. It’s unclear how far Apple’s technology deviates from this.
Collective cause
Individuals from multiple US states who have purchased an Apple Watch since 2020 can join the class action lawsuit. Apple has not responded yet.
In 2015, the Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor was less accurate in people with tattoos. Apple has therefore advised people not to wear the watch over a tattoo.
