Apple Watch Series 5 Features: Can New Smart Watch Detect A Heart Attack?

When it comes to the features of Apple’s smartwatches, it is no secret that the most popular are those that directly address one’s health issues. The health tracking functions of the device have become so successful that the Cupertino company is moving away from its initial design direction and focusing on bringing more health functions to the table.

The ECG function that the Apple Watch Series 4 is known for, for example, has been considered such a groundbreaking component that there have been calls for it to be available outside the U.S. And today, the ECG function is already accessible to Apple Watch owners in Europe and some parts of Asia once they have updated to the watchOS 5.2 software.

The Cupertino giant admitted that the ECG function is what triggered the company to focus more on health.

“We're excited about the opportunity in health. We don't think the Watch is specifically a health device. It's important that it’s a thing of value across a range of areas. For some people it helps them be more present. For some it helps them with their fitness and for others, it helps them discover health issues. If we were selling a heart rate monitor only, we would probably sell about 12 of them,” Jeff Williams, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, said in an interview.

Aside from ECG reading, the Apple smartwatch can also measure heart rate and detect atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat that could lead to serious conditions such as a stroke.

With all these new updates, it is understandable if enthusiasts will be expecting another breakthrough function for the Apple Watch Series 5, particularly the ability to detect a possible heart attack.

For now, the Apple Watch has no clear indication that it can detect such a situation (as reminded by a note flashed onscreen when accessing the ECG command). But we won’t be surprised if it can in the future as Apple has been actively working with Stanford University for in-depth study of how the heart works and how it can be applied to the company’s gadgets.

The study, called Apple Heart Study, covers around 400,000 patients and recorded only 0.5 percent of false positives which assures accuracy.

“We have a huge responsibility here as designers to try and put the data in context to make it accessible and displayed in a way that is easily understood by the user and then to give them agency over that data and the ability to access it but also to have a conversation with their medical professionals around it,” Alan Dye, Apple designer, said.

Aside from the ECG function, the next Apple Watch series is also expected to track sleeping patterns which could help a different set of audience altogether.