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PRESS RELEASE September 9, 2024
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today unveiled breakthrough sleep and hearing health features coming to Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 2 that further deliver on Apple’s commitment to health with experiences that enrich users’ lives. These new features expand across products, bringing informative and powerful ways to support users in their sleep and hearing health for conditions that impact billions globally.

A Powerful Way to Detect Signs of Sleep Apnea

  • The new Vitals app on Apple Watch gives users a way to check in on their daily health status and view key overnight health metrics, like heart rate and respiratory rate, and gain better context when it comes to their health.
  • The Health app offers additional support for pregnant users to reflect changes in their physical and mental health during this important time. Users can view the current gestational age and log symptoms in Cycle Tracking. Apple Watch users can also receive recommendations to review features like high heart rate notifications.
  • Time spent journaling can be saved as mindful minutes in the Health app, and users can log their state of mind right in Journal.

Built with Privacy at the Core

  • Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages, or with all makes and models.
  • The sleep apnea notifications are expected to receive marketing authorization from the FDA and other global health authorities soon, with availability this month in more than 150 countries and regions, including the U.S., the EU, and Japan. The feature will be supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
  • The Hearing Test and Aid features are expected to receive marketing authorization from global health authorities soon and will be supported with AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone or iPad, and will be available this fall in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan. For more information about availability, visit apple.com/airpods-pro/feature-availability.
  • The Hearing Protection feature is expected to be available in fall 2024 and will work with AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest operating system. The feature will be available in the U.S. and Canada.

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  1. The sleep apnea notification feature is pending FDA clearance and is expected to be available later this month. The feature will be supported on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. It is intended to detect signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea for people 18 years or older without a diagnosis of sleep apnea.
  2. The Hearing Protection feature works with AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest operating system. The feature will be available in the U.S. and Canada. See support.apple.com/120850 for total attenuation and more information.
  3. The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are expected to be available fall 2024. The Hearing Aid feature is pending marketing authorization from the FDA and other global health authorities. The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features will be supported on AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware paired with a compatible iPhone or iPad with iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 and later, and is intended for people 18 years or older. The Hearing Aid feature is intended for people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.