New Apple Watch Models Will Reportedly Add Sleep Apnea Detection

Apple will take the wraps off the iPhone 16 lineup on Monday, September 9, but the event should also bring new Apple Watch and AirPod models. According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, sleep apnea detection should be one of the biggest new features in the new Apple Watch lineup.

Apple added a new sleep app and sleep tracking features to watchOS 7 back in 2020, and the feature can estimate the time users spend in different sleep stages. With apnea detection, new Apple Watch models could detect a common condition causing some people to repeatedly stop and restart breathing while they sleep.

“While Apple has been preparing to announce it, the enhancement may not be available on day one of the new model going on sale,” Gurman explained. Apple is reportedly planning to refresh its entire Apple Watch lineup next week: We should see Apple Watch Series 10 models with slightly bigger screens and a thinner design, an Apple Watch Ultra 3 with “minor tweaks,” as well as a new entry-level Apple Watch SE.

As for the blood-oxygen sensing feature that Apple was forced to deactivate on new watches due to a patent dispute with Masimo, a medical technology company, Bloomberg believes that there may be no updates on this front. Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company won’t be licensing the technology from Masimo to end the patent infringement situation.

If most of the details about the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro have already leaked, Apple should also spend some time to detail two new AirPods models. A new base model will replace the AirPods 2 and get a new USB-C charging case, and a new midrange model replacing the AirPods 3 will add noise cancellation and a charging case with a built-in speaker to make it easier to find.

Lastly, Gurman is also reporting that Apple may be ready to discuss a set of new features designed to make AirPods work as hearing aids. “The company is preparing to announce the enhancements — codenamed Yodel — but they’ve suffered some delays and may not be available until later,” the reporter explained.

Apple’s iPhone 16 event will kick off at 10 AM PT on Monday, and it will be livestreamed on the company’s YouTube channel. Gurman believes that a separate event should follow in October with new M4 Macs and iPad models.