{"id":574605,"date":"2026-04-01T06:44:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T06:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/574605\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T06:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T06:44:16","slug":"from-fall-detection-to-hypertension-10-apple-watch-innovations-that-changed-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/574605\/","title":{"rendered":"From Fall Detection to Hypertension \u2014 10 Apple Watch innovations that changed the game"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first Apple Watch debuted almost 11 years ago on April 24, 2015, and while Cupertino didn\u2019t invent the smartwatch, Apple\u2019s square-shaped wearable is easily the most popular and recognizable smartwatch in the world today.<\/p>\n

2026 marks 50 years of Apple, and to celebrate the brand\u2019s history, I\u2019ve taken a look back through the brand\u2019s entire catalog of smartwatches \u2014 from the original \u2018Series 0\u2019 to the current Series 11<\/a>, Ultra 3<\/a>, and SE 3<\/a> \u2014 to narrow down the ten most significant Apple Watch innovations that revolutionized wearable tech.<\/p>\n

2015: First Apple Watch debuts<\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

A status symbol for techies, Apple moved over eight million smartwatches in the first year it went on sale.<\/p>\n

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The year is 2015. \u2018Uptown Funk\u2019 is booming on the car stereo, \u2018Pizza Rat\u2019 is trending on Instagram (TikTok has yet to launch in the U.S), selfie sticks have invaded public space en masse, and Apple has a shiny new wearable computer called the Apple Watch.<\/p>\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

The original Apple Watch lacked the health, fitness, and safety features found in the best Apple Watch<\/a> models in 2026. It also lacked waterproofing, cellular connectivity, and onboard GPS, relying on a paired phone for location data. The device was groundbreaking and hugely popular, nonetheless.<\/p>\n

A status symbol for techies, Apple moved over eight million smartwatches in the first year it went on sale. Like today\u2019s flagship, the original model came in two sizes, with a starting price of $349 for the 38mm model and $399 for the 42mm option. Key features included support for Apple Pay, an onboard heart rate monitor, and Apple\u2019s nifty digital crown.<\/p>\n

The first Apple Watch also debuted alongside the official Apple Watch App Store, which offered roughly 3,000 apps at launch.<\/p>\n

2016: Onboard GPS <\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

The following year, Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2<\/a>, beginning an annual September release schedule that the brand still sticks to today. These upgraded models had the same basic design as the original, but now with splash-resistance, and perhaps more notably, onboard GPS.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

This meant that users could now track an outdoor workout on their watch without having to carry along a phone for location data, a huge perk for runners, walkers, hikers, and cyclists.<\/p>\n

2017: Apple Watch goes cellular<\/p>\n

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\"Apple\n<\/p>\n

Apple wasn\u2019t the first brand to offer a cellular-capable smartwatch \u2014 that was Samsung \u2014 but 2017\u2019s Apple Watch Series 3<\/a> certainly popularized the concept of on-wrist connectivity, sans-smartphone. For the first time, Apple Watch wearers could receive calls and messages on their watch with no phone in sight.<\/p>\n

The LTE-capable Apple Watch Series 3 model used eSIM to connect to mobile internet, with the watch\u2019s display serving as the cellular antenna.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

2018: Fall Detection <\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

One of Apple\u2019s most well-known safety features, Fall Detection, officially made its debut in 2018 alongside the Apple Watch Series 4<\/a>. Now a mainstay on all Apple Watch models, Fall Detection uses the device\u2019s onboard gyroscope and accelerometer to determine when a user takes a tumble and how hard they fell.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Apple expanded on this useful bit of safety tech by adding car Crash Detection via the Apple Watch Series 8<\/a>. Like Fall Detection, it can automatically call for help in an emergency and share location data with loved ones and rescuers if you\u2019re unresponsive.<\/p>\n

2018: FDA-approved ECG readings<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

2018’s Apple Watch Series 4 was also the first smartwatch on the market with FDA-approved electrocardiogram (ECG) functionality capable of detecting Atrial fibrillation (AFib).<\/p>\n

This was the exact moment, in my mind, that the Apple Watch began to shift away from being a companion device to the iPhone, focused on connectivity features, and more of a standalone device centered around a user\u2019s health, fitness, and safety.<\/p>\n

ECG reading took just 30 seconds and required you to simply press your thumb and finger against the digital crown and back of the device. Two years later, Samsung would add a similar FDA-approved ECG functionality via the Galaxy Watch 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2019: Always-on display<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

The Apple Watch Series 5<\/a> in 2019 ushered in the era of always-on displays. The watch\u2019s innovative LTPO panel allowed the screen to remain active at all times, using a low refresh rate to save battery.<\/p>\n

This meant that your Apple Watch could now display the time and your choice of complications without the need to raise your wrist, tap the screen, or press a button to wake it. It\u2019s worth noting that Apple was far from the first smartwatch maker to introduce an always-on display, but the brand no doubt popularized the feature.<\/p>\n

2020: Blood oxygen monitoring<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

2020\u2019s Apple Watch Series 6<\/a> saw the introduction of another marquee health feature: blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring. While the Series 6 was one of the world\u2019s first mainstream smartwatches with the feature, its debut would ultimately land Apple in hot legal water with rival, Masimo<\/a>, which claimed to own the patents behind the tech.<\/p>\n

The Apple vs Masimo debacle<\/a> would ultimately result in a U.S. import ban on later Apple Watch models<\/a> (the Series 9 and Ultra 2) and years of back-and-forth litigation.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the feature launched just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic. By monitoring the percentage of oxygen in a user\u2019s bloodstream (anything 95% and up is considered \u2018normal’), the feature could potentially indicate early signs of a viral infection based on consistently low readings. Of course, it was no substitute for an actual COVID-19 test.<\/p>\n

2022: Apple Watch Ultra debuts<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

2020 also gave us the debut of the more wallet-friendly Apple Watch SE<\/a>, with a starting price of $279. However, it would be another two years before Apple\u2019s tough-built Apple Watch Ultra<\/a> arrived.<\/p>\n

Arguably the most groundbreaking model since the debut of the very first Apple Watch Series 0, the $799 Ultra promised far better battery, a tougher build quality with a sapphire crystal display and titanium alloy case, an additional, programmable \u2018Action Button,\u2019 and double the water resistance of the standard and SE models. It also offered a massive, ultra-bright screen packed into a larger-than-life 49mm case.<\/p>\n

Designed with outdoor enthusiasts and endurance athletes in mind, the Apple Watch Ultra found a curious fanbase amongst tech and finance bros eager to swap out their Rolex Submariner for something even cooler.<\/p>\n

2024: Sleep apnea detection <\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Apple was a little late to the sleep apnea detection train, but 2024 was when Cupertino officially started taking sleep tracking seriously. While prior models monitored your sleep patterns and total time spent resting, this was the first time the Apple Watch could inform you whether signs of the deadly condition, which often goes unnoticed, are present in your sleep data.<\/p>\n

For sleep apnea detection to work, users need to wear their Apple Watch Series 9<\/a> or newer for at least ten nights in 30 days.<\/p>\n

2025: Hypertension alerts<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

As of writing, hypertension alerts<\/a> remain unique to only Apple Watches. Offered on the Series 9 and newer, along with the Ultra 2 and 3, the device needs 30 days of wrist data to predict whether or not the user shows potential signs of high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

To do this, the watch uses the onboard heart rate sensor to monitor how your blood vessels respond to your heartbeat. That data gets fed through an algorithm to determine whether or not the user is at risk of hypertension.<\/p>\n

(Honorable mention) 2025: Satellite SOS messaging<\/p>\n

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\"Apple\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Currently only available on the Apple Watch Ultra 3<\/a>, the new emergency SOS messaging feature is designed to let users connect to rescuers and\/or loved ones from off-the-grid via satellite with the ability to share location data and a text-based message.<\/p>\n

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