December 2023 was a dark period for Apple and its latest Apple Watches as it temporarily faced a ban, but now, it is given a chance to keep it, as long as it removes the Blood Oxygen app. That being said, reports now claim that Apple is considering the removal of this app and feature from the latest versions of its wearables, the Series 9 and Ultra 2, so that it may stay available for all.
The patent dispute that Apple had for many years now finally caught up to them, and after a dramatic holiday season, there are now workarounds offered.
Goodbye Blood Oxygen App on the Apple Watch
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
A way to bypass the restriction on Apple's renowned dispute with Masimo is here, with the health tech company suggesting via its letter that Cupertino may avoid the ban if it removes the Blood Oxygen app from the Apple Watch. This is the condition set by the aggrieved company after this years-long fight against Big Tech for the use of their patented technology.
As per Engadget, the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) said that this new redesign by Apple "falls outside the scope" of the import ban set by the US International Trade Commission (ITC).
However, Apple claimed to the CBP that the latest version of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 had already said its goodbyes to the Blood Oxygen app, as well as the wearable no longer featured the "pulse oximetry functionality."
Still, the CBP's decision may be overturned as the ITC gets the final say in the issue.
Apple has already reportedly shipped the revised versions of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 to its US stores, and Cupertino advised them not to open or sell these modified devices. For now, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2's sales rely on the emergency interim stay of the ITC ruling that allowed it to be sold in the country.
Apple and its Patent Dispute
The ITC held an iron hand against Apple during late 2023, and after a long court battle regarding a patent dispute with the California-based health tech company, Masimo, it saw a ban.
Apple appealed and filed different motions to help their case and avoid the sales ban of its latest smartwatches in the market, but initially, it was to no avail as the ITC was firm on its decision.
The decade-long dispute which Apple faced, from the time it started, down to the pitch made by a scientist in exploring this feature, this issue tarnished Cupertino's name and its use of the tech for its wearables. All hopes of still selling the latest Apple Watches are not yet gone, and this new workaround asks to remove the Blood Oxygen app and cease the use of the tech moving forward.
