Apple obtains UAE approval to offer sleep apnoea service on watch

Feature helps users understand risky interruptions in their breathing patterns

Apple's new sleep apnoea-tracking feature is available on Apple Watch Series 9 and 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Alvin R Cabral / The National

Apple has received approval from UAE authorities to begin offering its new sleep apnoea notification service on its Watch, adding another layer to health metric measurements on the world's top-selling smartwatch.

The iPhone maker secured marketing authorisation from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention for the highly-touted feature, it said on Thursday.

A marketing authorisation allows a medical product to be imported and circulated in the Emirates, according to CMS, an organisation of independent law firms.

Apple's feature allows users to measure breathing disturbances during sleep with its Watch Series 9 and 10, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, "to better understand interruptions in their respiratory patterns", the California-based company said. The data is then used in an algorithm to detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnoea.

Sleep apnoea is a potentially dangerous disorder as it causes you to stop breathing while asleep. Over time, this condition can cause serious complications, although often very manageable, especially with close adherence to prescribed treatments, according to Cleveland Clinic.

The condition, which is estimated to affect more than one billion people globally, goes undiagnosed in most cases. If left untreated, it can have dangerous consequences on health, including an increased risk of hypertension, Type-2 diabetes and cardiac issues, multiple clinical studies have shown.

Apple says you need to wear the Watch for at least 10 nights within a 30-day period for it to detect sleep apnoea. Each day, the app will let you know if you had elevated breathing disturbances the night before. More disturbances over those 30 days will prompt a notification that you may possibly have sleep apnoea.

A document will then be produced that you can take to your doctor to discuss it further. Apple, however, explicitly reminds users that its Watches are not medical devices and that any health metrics measured with it should only be for reference.

Apple says it used accelerometre-based breathing measurements, advanced machine learning and an extensive dataset of clinical-grade sleep apnoea tests in developing the sleep apnoea feature, according to a clinical study it released in September.

As of the first quarter of 2024, the Apple Watch had a 21.3 per cent market share globally, more than double that of second-placed Indian brand Fire-Boltt's 10.1 per cent, data from ABI Research shows.