Apple Watch hypertension alerts now available in UAE and Saudi Arabia

Tech company continues to bank on health services to maintain lead in smartwatches

The new Apple service is available on Watch Series 9, 10 and 11, shown above, and the second and third generations of Apple Watch Ultra, running on watchOS26. Reuters

Apple on Wednesday began introducing a new hypertension notifications app on its watches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as seeks to maintain its lead in the smartwatch sector through more advanced health services.

The feature, which can alert users if signs of chronic high blood pressure are detected, are available on Apple Watch Series 9, 10 and 11, and the second and third generations of Apple Watch Ultra, running on watchOS26, the California-based company said.

With the addition of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, hypertension notifications are now available in 157 countries, Apple's website says. Within the Middle East and North Africa, the service is also available in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar.

The tool was developed using data from more than 100,000 people and validated in a clinical study of more than 2,000 participants, Apple said in a white paper released in September, the month when Apple received approval for the service.

"Unlike a screening or diagnostic test, this feature works opportunistically and passively in the background at the scale of a general-use consumer wearable," the company said in the document.

It uses the watch's optical heart sensor, reviews background data over 30-day periods and notifies users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension. Apple recommends users to monitor their blood pressure for seven days if they receive a notification.

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Users need to remember, though, that Apple explicitly says the watch is not a medical device and any health data it measures should be for reference only.

The company says the hypertension service is "not intended to diagnose, treat, or aid in the management of hypertension or other conditions such as blood clots, stroke, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, or high cholesterol".

It also cannot detect heart attacks. If chest pain, pressure, tightness, or "what you think is a heart attack" is happening, emergency services must be contacted, Apple said.

"These notifications provide users with insights ... so they can begin making potentially life-saving behavioural changes, or start treatment to reduce their risk of serious, long-term health events," the iPhone-maker said.

Global smartwatch shipments logged a 9 per cent year-on-year rise in the third quarter of 2025, Counterpoint Research found.

Apple remained firmly on top, while posting growth in shipments for the first time in eight quarters, the Hong Kong-based firm said.

Meanwhile, hypertension – a major cause of premature death worldwide – affected about 1.4 billion people aged 30–79 in 2024, which represents one third of the population in this age range, latest available data from the World Health Organisation shows.

About 600 million adults with hypertension, or 44 per cent, are unaware that they have the condition; 630 million with hypertension are diagnosed and treated, while only 320 million have it under control, the Geneva-based WHO said.