Apple grabbed all the headlines when it announced the ECG feature for the Apple Watch Series 4 in September. The much-hyped feature was not available at launch, but in most likelihood, it’ll be available soon. According to some inside sources, Apple will enable the feature with the next watchOS update. Version 5.1.2 is currently in beta.
watchOS 5.1.2 to bring ECG feature in the Apple Watch Series 4
The next watchOS update, which will bring the version 5.1.2 to the general public, will be a big one. The update is said to come with a special ECG app for the Apple Watch Series 4. The app will detect atrial fibrillation or irregular heart rhythm and alert the user accordingly.
The data collected by the app will be available to users through the Health app on a compatible iPhone. And by compatible, we mean iPhone 5s or newer running iOS 12.1.1, which itself is in beta. So before Apple pushes the watchOS update, it’ll be pushing the iOS update to the iPhone users.
As said earlier, the watchOS version 5.1.2 is currently in beta. Apple will start pushing it to devices once all the necessary testings are done. The company had promised to enable the ECG feature by the end of this year. So there’s a chance that it starts rolling out the iOS 12.1.1 update in the next few days, followed by the watchOS 5.1.2 update. And while the update should be available for all the compatible Apple watches, only the Series 4 will get the ECG app as it has the hardware to support it.
But even then, if you’re outside the US, don’t get excited just yet. The ECG app will be initially limited to the US, where the Apple Watch Series 4 ECG has been approved by the FDA. Other regions and countries need to wait until Apple manages to get clearance from their respective certification bodies. And that will happen only if Apple wants to.
