Gurman: 'No Chance' Apple Watch Series 7 Will Include Blood Pressure Sensor

On Tuesday, Nikkei Asia published a report claiming the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 will feature blood pressure measurement capabilities, and that this is one of the reasons why production of the device has hit snags as manufacturers adjust to the more complex design.

Apple Watch 7 Unreleased Feature Red
Later the same day, Bloomberg cited its own sources corroborating Nikkei's main claim that the new model had brought manufacturing challenges which could lead to supply constraints or shipment delays, but the subsequent report by Debbie Wu and Mark Gurman made no mention of Nikkei's claim about a blood pressure sensor being one of the causes of the production snags.

However, if there was any doubt, Gurman has now put to bed Nikkei's key assertion in a tweet, saying that there's "no chance" the Apple Watch Series 7 will have a blood pressure sensor.


That's not to say another future Apple Watch model won't have blood pressure smarts. Earlier this year, Apple was revealed to be the largest customer of the British electronics start-up Rockley Photonics, which develops non-invasive optical sensors for detecting multiple blood-related health metrics, including blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol levels.

Rockley's disclosure that its biggest client is Apple came about as the company prepared to go public in New York. Given the growth of Rockley Photonics and the scale of Apple's partnership with the company, it seems to be virtually inevitable that the company's health sensor technology will be coming to the Apple Watch at some stage, just not this year.

Apple is widely rumored to be planning an all-digital event for the middle of this month, where the company is expected to announce the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7, the latter of which is expected to have a new flat-edged design, larger case sizes, a faster processor, and battery improvements. For all the details, check out our Apple Watch rumor roundup.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

watchmainspring Avatar
34 months ago
If you've ever had your blood pressure or blood glucose tested in a health care setting, I simply cannot imagine a 1oz plastic and aluminum watch being able to replicate these measurements and produce anything remotely accurate. Don't get me wrong, Apple has tons of money and intelligent engineers, but we need to have reasonable expectations in 2021.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
34 months ago

I think we all knew there would be no blood pressure monitoring or blood glucose monitoring this year. The main upgrade seems to be the re-design.
Yep even if the sensor was ready (likely wasn't), Apple likes to hold back features so there is something new the following series. They do it with all the products. For example, mini LED being on the 12.9 iPad only but coming to 11 the following year (likely). It is smart business.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shanghaichica Avatar
34 months ago
I think we all knew there would be no blood pressure monitoring or blood glucose monitoring this year. The main upgrade seems to be the re-design.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
34 months ago
There is the danger as Apple Watch becomes increasingly more popular, the level of anticipation rises to unjustified levels. I don't think it's unfair to say that, like the iPhone, some need to keep their expectations in check.

It's not Apple's job to guarantee revolutionary new features every year, but simply to find ways to iterate - even if that means the said feature appears granular. Because at the end of the day, though those who complain may have owned their watch/iPhone for several years, there are also prospective customers who are going to look at the list of features and be bowled over by what the product offers.

Even today, I'm flabbergasted at just how much technology is stuffed into these tiny devices. And whether Apple releases blood pressure monitoring this year or in the future, it's better they get it right first time than to rush to market with a half-baked system.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
matrix07 Avatar
34 months ago
That's ok. I have Omron.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shanghaichica Avatar
34 months ago

Yep even if the sensor was ready (likely wasn't), Apple likes to hold back features so there is something new the following series. They do it with all the products. For example, mini LED being on the 12.9 iPad only but coming to 11 the following year (likely). It is smart business.
It’s smart and makes me keep opening up my purse year after year lol
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...