Wear OS to get blood oxygen measurement features soon
Medical device maker Masimo has announced new deals with Google and Qualcomm to bring its biosensor technology to Wear OS smartwatches.
Masimo is the reason why the new Apple Watch Series 10 in the US doesn't have pulse oximetry.
As part of the deal, Masimo is partnering with Google and Qualcomm to develop a reference platform that will help device manufacturers bring high-performance Wear OS smartwatches to market.
The companies are designing the new platform to support the rapidly growing Wear OS ecosystem, including a suite of health and wellness tracking tools that consumers can trust to provide accurate and reliable data, seamless integration with Android smartphones, and a high-quality, high-performance experience.
“We are excited to partner with Google and Qualcomm to develop a reference platform for Wear OS that leverages our specialized engineering capabilities,” said Joe Kiani, founder and CEO of Masimo.
“Masimo engineers are working with Google and Qualcomm to deliver a Wear OS smartwatch solution to device manufacturers. We expect this new wearable platform to enhance the capabilities of smartwatch manufacturers to create innovative, competitive and engaging Wear OS smartwatches for consumers,” he added.
Ensuring accuracy across the market is the real goal, Kiani claims, praising Masimo's medical record.
Masimo's technology has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which means the agency has examined Masimo's claims of accuracy across a wide range of variables.
Blood oxygen data is largely viewed as a health feature, and the blood oxygen sensors on most consumer smartwatches aren't that accurate.
“We have FDA approval for the data we release, and we vet how each device manufacturer we work with does it,” Kiani said.
The FDA clearance process is time-consuming, resource-intensive, and can be difficult for companies outside the medical field to navigate.
Consumer-grade blood oxygen monitoring is still somewhat limited in its usefulness. Random checks don’t necessarily provide useful long-term data, while the accuracy of nighttime monitoring can be negatively affected if you sleep on your side.
Meanwhile, Kiani says that accurate SpO2 monitoring in Wear OS wearables could help people and healthcare providers monitor patients with chronic diseases remotely.
Wear OS watches may start adding blood oxygen monitoring in the next year or two. Masimo itself is developing a Wear OS smartwatch, called Freedom, which it showed off earlier this year at CES.