For those waiting for Apple to add ECG support to Apple Watch Series 4, 20 new locations support the feature with an update to watchOS 5.2.
How to download and install watchOS 5.2 on your Apple Watch
The ECG monitor built into the Apple Watch Series 4 can detect whether a person has atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Part of the free watchOS 5.2 software update, the ECG app can capture heart rhythm on demand in a moment when users experience symptoms such as a rapid or skipped heart beat and help provide clinically important data to physicians. The irregular rhythm notification feature on Apple Watch occasionally checks heart rhythm in the background and sends a notification if an irregular heart rhythm that appears to be atrial fibrillation (AFib) is identified.
Additionally, the irregular heart rate notification rolls out to a number of European regions and Hong Kong.
Available on Apple Watch Series 1 or later, the irregular rhythm notification feature will occasionally check the user's heart rhythm in the background for signs of an irregular heart rhythm using the optical heart sensor. If an irregular rhythm is detected on five rhythm checks over a minimum of 65 minutes, Apple Watch alerts the user with a notification.
Apple also notes a recent study by Stanford Medicine about irregular heart rate notifications on the Apple Watch. The Apple Heart Study was conducted with more than 400,000 participants was released on March 16, 2019.
Stanford Medicine's results from the Apple Heart Study found 'only 0.5 percent of participants received irregular pulse notifications, an important finding given concerns about potential over-notification.' The study further found evidence to support wearable technology has the ability to safely identify heart rate irregularities, which subsequent testing confirmed to be atrial fibrillation.
How to use the ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4
With the latest update, the ECG app is now available in the following locations:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guam
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Romania
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
- US Virgin Islands
watchOS 5.2 also adds support for irregular heart rate notifications in Hong Kong and new regions throughout Europe. The following locations now support irregular heart rate notifications:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guam
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Romania
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
- US Virgin Islands
Additionally, the watchOS 5.2 update adds support for AirPods 2 and real-time text (RTT) for phone calls.
