Apple Watch Series 11 now includes FDA-cleared hypertension notifications. Starting next week, the feature will roll out in more than 150 countries. It will also come to Apple Watch Series 9 and later, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, via watchOS 26. Hypertension can strike without symptoms. Left unchecked, it increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

Using its optical heart sensor, the watch reviews how blood vessels respond to heartbeats over 30-day periods. If it detects consistent patterns of hypertension, the wearer will receive a notification. Apple expects the feature could alert more than 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension in its first year alone.