The blood oxygen level sensor Apple Watch Series 6 is a useless feature
At the last September presentation, Apple did not show the iPhone 12, but at the same time presented two varieties of smart watches, where the most charged steel Apple Watch Series 6. New innovations include the lack of an adapter included with the watch and the ability to monitor blood oxygen levels.
Why do you need a blood oxygen sensor? The normal for a person is 95-100% of the oxygen level, and when it drops to 80%, it can be deadly for a person. This malfunction leads to oxygen deficiency, which can trigger the death of brain cells. Naturally, at the presentation, Apple announced that the appearance of this function is a useful and significant event. And everything is done with care for the health of users.
But, the actual tests carried out by the Washington Post journalist were disappointing. As it turned out, the feature itself turned out to be useless. Among the key problems are incorrect results that contradict each other. So, a fact was recorded when the sensor showed a close to critical level of oxygen in the blood of 88%, but after five minutes this figure was already 95%. There were cases when the sensor refused to work at all, reporting an error. And a comparison of the results of measurements on a smart watch and a finger oximeter showed a run-up in the Apple Watch numbers by 2-3%, and it happened when the deviations were critical 7%. Moreover, the deviations were downward.
As we found out, the correct operation of a smartwatch is also affected by how tight the strap on the wrist is. The stronger, the smaller the error. But wearing a smart watch in this case on the wrist becomes uncomfortable. In addition, other factors affect the measurement quality, including the location of the watch on the wrist, body temperature, movement, and even skin color.
Don’t count your Apple Watch Series 6 alternative to medical devices. The company itself also declares that it is not responsible for the operation of the function and the smartwatch is not intended for medical use. It is worth remembering that at this stage this is just a fun toy.