In iOS 26.4, Apple added an Average Bedtime metric to the Sleep section of the Health app, letting users better monitor how bedtime impacts sleep quality.
Under a new Sleep Highlight, Apple lists the time that you went to bed and the time that you usually go to bed based on averages over a two-week period.
In iOS 26.3, Apple displayed average sleep time over the past seven days. That highlight still exists, but it is now supplemented with the daily bedtime readout.
Apple also updated the Vitals readout in the U.S., and it once again lists blood oxygen level on the line graph overview that's available each day. In iOS 26.3 and earlier versions of iOS 26, there was a section for the blood oxygen level, but the graph did not include a blood oxygen measurement.
Blood oxygen was available as a separate metric in the Vitals section, but it is now visible in the Vitals overview. The Vitals feature did not fully support blood oxygen because of Apple's ongoing legal dispute with Masimo. Masimo accused Apple of infringing on Masimo patents related to blood oxygen sensing, and it secured an import ban from the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Apple had to remove blood oxygen sensing from the Apple Watch starting in early 2024 to be able to continue to sell the Apple Watch in the U.S., but Apple was able to re-add it in August 2025 with blood oxygen readouts available only on the iPhone. There is still no option to measure blood oxygen with the Apple Watch and see the results directly on the wrist in the U.S.
iOS 26.4 is available to developers and public beta testers, with a public launch planned for spring.
Apple today announced a "special Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET.
Apple invited select members of the media to the event in three major cities around the world. It is simply described as a "special Apple Experience," and there is no further information about what it may entail. The invitation features a 3D Apple logo design...
Thursday February 12, 2026 11:17 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to release an iPhone 17e and an iPad Air with an M4 chip "in the coming weeks," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple retail employees say that inventory of the iPhone 16e has basically dried out and the iPad Air is seeing shortages as well," said Gurman. "I've been expecting new versions of both (iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air) in the coming weeks."...
Friday February 13, 2026 2:01 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to launch a rebranded "Sales Coach" app on the iPhone and iPad later this month, according to a source familiar with the matter.
"Sales Coach" will arrive as an update to Apple's existing "SEED" app, and it will continue to provide sales tips and training resources to Apple Store and Apple Authorized Reseller employees around the world. For example, there are articles and videos...
Friday February 13, 2026 8:43 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still seven months away, an analyst has revealed five new features the devices will allegedly have.
Rumored color options for the iPhone 18 Pro models
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities on Thursday, analyst Jeff Pu outlined the following upgrades for the iPhone 18 Pro models:
Smaller Dynamic Island: It has been rumored...
Friday February 13, 2026 4:18 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple has a long list of new products rumored for 2026, including a series of home products that will see the company establishing more of a presence in the smart home space. Robots are on the horizon for 2027, but the 2026 releases will be a little tamer.
HomePod mini
We're expecting a new HomePod mini 2 to launch at any time. Apple isn't going to update the device's design, but we could...
Feb 17 (Reuters) - Danaher will acquire Masimo in a $9.9 billion deal, as it looks to expand its diagnostics portfolio with the California-based medtech company's devices to monitor blood oxygen levels.
The companies said on Tuesday that Danaher will pay $180 per share to buy Masimo. The offer represents 38.3% premium to Masimo's last close.
The deal marks a rare move beyond life sciences company Danaher's core drug-development tools business, to gain a foothold in the market for blood oxygen monitoring products, a segment dominated by Medtronic and Masimo.
The deal with Masimo broadens Danaher's diagnostic segment, complementing its invasive Radiometer blood analyzer devices with Masimo's non-invasive pulse oximeters, brain function and respiration monitoring devices, among other products.
while the pockets might be deeper, they might also be smarter in not spending money on lawyers with the remaining life of those patents quite limiting ...
while the pockets might be deeper, they might also be smarter in not spending money on lawyers with the remaining life of those patents quite limiting ...
Not to mention that the patent in contention expired in 2022. It's not clear why Apple has not fully re-enabled O2 in the US by now, but it doesn't appear that there is any legal reason for Apple to continue using the workaround.
My guess is that they are simply waiting until the ongoing litigation comes to an end. So if the new owners aren't going to continue pursuing Apple in court or are more willing to settle with Apple, this entire saga may finally come to an end and consumers in the US may finally get back full O2 functionality on Apple Watch.
my understanding is that there are 2 or 3 patents in question (or maybe its only 1??) that expire in 2027 (or 2028), but it's hard to keep track.
Yea, that ownership change might turn out to save money on lawyers, on both sides
I thought so too, but when I tried to find info about them all that came up was the 2022 patent.
Masimo's former leadership was notoriously insistent on not settling and wanted to fight on. Whether that was the financially smartest move for Masimo, especially in hindsight, is a matter of debate. Masimo could have likely settled years ago for millions while Apple was fully disabling the O2 sensors on newly imported US Apple Watches. Masimo lost a lot of leverage once Apple was allowed to import watches that used the iPhone to process and display the O2 data.
That being said, I think, overall, a settlement might be a more likely scenario now than before. For most consumers, the experience impact of Apple's workaround is so minimal that Danaher/Masimo gains very little from keeping this going at this point. Meanwhile, if they continue to pursue legal actions, they're going to continue spending on legal costs for what may amount to no future payout or financial benefit.
If they can get Apple to settle, they might at least be able to extract something of cash value while Apple gets finality that all prior Masimo accusations of patent violations are over, and possibly even a patent licensing agreement going forward that makes Apple's future health sensor endeavors immune from litigation from Danaher/Masimo with some kind of future revenue stream from Apple to Danaher.
