Apple Watch's sleep apnea detection feature gets Canada’s approval

Apple Watch users in Canada can now see their nightly breathing disturbances in Health app on iPhone

Tech Desk - Sep 28, 2024

An undated image of Apples sleep apnea detection app. — Apple/Canva — An undated image of Apple's sleep apnea detection app. — Apple/Canva

Health Canada approves Apple Watch's sleep apnea detection feature this week, enabling widespread access nationwide.

What is sleep apnea detection feature?

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing continuously stops and starts while they sleep often leading to snoring or gasping and resulting in daytime fatigue.

With the Apple Watch, users can see their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app on the iPhone, with disturbances categorised as "elevated" or "not elevated."

According to the company, the feature has been designed utilising "advanced machine learning" and an extensive data set of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests.

Sleep apnea detection now accessible in Canada

Earlier this month, the Cupertino-based tech giant unveiled the sleep apnea detection feature on Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States and more than 150 other countries and regions.

At the launch, Canada wasn’t part of included regions but now, with the approval, Apple’s sleep apnea feature will be available to Canadians with a software update.

Previously, the government of Canada also approved other Apple Watch heart monitoring features such as AFib history, electrocardiogram (ECG), and irregular rhythm notifications.

However, it’s worth noting that unlike the US, the new Hearing Aid feature for AirPods Pro 2 has not been approved yet and, therefore, it won’t be allowed for Canadians to buy hearing aid products.