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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new atrial fibrillation feature from Apple, probably intended for watchOS just hours before the company’s WWDC 2022 launch.
As first detected by My Healthy Apple, the FDA has granted 510 (k) approval for a new “Ear Fibrillation History Function.” With approval, Apple can now add this feature to its services and hardware.
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat. Current Apple Watch models can check for Afib between 50 and 150 beats per minute in some regions, or between 50 and 120 beats per minute in other countries.
Details about the new feature are scarce, but the “history” part of the feature’s name suggests that users will be able to see an analysis of their heart rate or symptoms of atrial fibrillation.
Bloomberg previously reported that watchOS 9 could support an “Afib load detection” feature that would allow users to monitor how often they are in a state of atrial fibrillation over a period of time.
It is unclear whether the feature will debut at WWDC 2022 as part of the company’s watchOS 9 software update or whether it will be a hardware feature that will be released on a new Apple Watch model in the fall.