No Apple Watch measures blood pressure or displays a blood pressure number. In supported countries, Series 9 or later and Ultra 2 or later can send a hypertension notification after reviewing 30-day windows of optical heart-sensor data, and Apple then prompts you to log a week of readings from a separate cuff to discuss with your doctor. Apple's instructions for use state that the feature does not provide blood pressure measurements, and in Apple's own validation study it notified 41.2% of the participants who had hypertension. A 2026 modelling study in JAMA applied those figures to US adults eligible for the feature and estimated that 58.8% of those with undiagnosed hypertension would get no alert.
Does the Apple Watch measure blood pressure?
No. No Apple Watch, including Series 12 and Ultra 4 announced in September 2026, measures or tracks blood pressure or shows systolic and diastolic numbers. What some models offer instead is a hypertension notification: an alert sent when an algorithm finds signs of high blood pressure in optical heart-sensor data.
The FDA cleared the feature on 11 September 2025 under 510(k) K250507 as machine learning-based notification software, not as a blood pressure monitor. Its cleared use is for adults aged 22 and over without a hypertension diagnosis. It is not for use in pregnancy, not a replacement for diagnosis, and not for monitoring treatment or tracking blood pressure, and the labelling states that "the absence of a notification does not indicate the absence of hypertension."
How does Apple's hypertension notification work?
The Apple Watch uses its optical heart sensor to passively analyse how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat, and an algorithm reviews that data in repeating 30-day windows. Each window needs at least 14 days of data collected while the wearer is awake. If the algorithm finds signs of hypertension, the watch sends a notification. If there is too little data, no notification is sent. Whatever the result, a new 30-day window starts automatically when the previous one ends.
Apple's instructions for use list the limits: the feature cannot detect a heart attack, stroke, blood clots, atrial fibrillation or preeclampsia, was not tested in people with atrial fibrillation or paced rhythms, and can be affected by motion, dark wrist tattoos and cold. They also say, "If you ever experience chest pain, pressure, tightness, or what you think is a heart attack, call emergency services immediately," and warn users not to change their medication without talking to their doctor.
Which Apple Watch models get hypertension notifications?
Hypertension notifications work on Apple Watch Series 9 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, running the latest watchOS and paired with an iPhone 11 or later on the latest iOS, according to Apple Support. Apple Watch SE is not supported. The wearer must be 22 or older, not pregnant and without a hypertension diagnosis, and Wrist Detection must be switched on.
Apple's feature availability page, as of 14 September 2026, lists the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Israel among others, and notes that Series 12 and Ultra 4 may not get the notifications in some regions while further clearances are in process.
To switch them on, following Apple Support's steps:
- Open the Health app on the paired iPhone and tap your profile icon.
- Under Features, tap Health Checklist, then Hypertension Notifications.
- Confirm your age and whether you have ever been diagnosed with hypertension, then follow the prompts.
There is no way to check blood pressure on the Apple Watch itself: the feature runs in the background and has no blood pressure screen.
How accurate are Apple Watch hypertension notifications?
In Apple's validation study, 41.2% of participants who had hypertension received a notification, and 92.3% of participants without hypertension correctly received none, judged against an FDA-cleared home blood pressure monitor using US guideline definitions. Put plainly, the watch missed about 6 in 10 people with hypertension. An Apple Watch that stays silent is not evidence of normal blood pressure.
| Result | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People with hypertension who got a notification (sensitivity) | 41.2% | Apple study |
| The same, stage 2 hypertension only | 53.7% | Apple study |
| People without hypertension who got no notification (specificity) | 92.3% | Apple study |
| Specificity across six 30-day windows in a two-year follow-up (187 people without hypertension) | 86.4% | Apple study |
| Eligible US adults with undiagnosed hypertension who would get no alert | 58.8% | JAMA model, 2026 |
| Eligible adults with an alert who actually have hypertension | 69.1% | JAMA model, 2026 |
| Eligible adults with no alert who actually do not have hypertension | 79.0% | JAMA model, 2026 |
Apple's study enrolled 2,229 adults without a hypertension diagnosis for 30 days of wear, and analysed the 1,863 with at least 15 days of usable data. Sensitivity was higher and specificity lower in people aged 60 or over or with a BMI over 30. In a separate two-year follow-up, most people with normal or elevated blood pressure who got a notification got it in the first month, and new ones became less frequent after that.
The JAMA study applied Apple's figures to US national survey data (NHANES) on 3,983 people representing about 127 million US adults who would be eligible for the feature: aged 22 or over, not pregnant, and with no known hypertension diagnosis or blood pressure medication. Age changed what an alert meant: under 30, it raised the probability of hypertension from 14% to 47%; at 60 and over, from 45% to 81%. An alert is a prompt to start measuring, not a diagnosis.
Which smartwatches measure blood pressure, and how?
Smartwatches that show blood pressure numbers use one of two methods. Watches such as the Huawei Watch D2 hide a small inflatable cuff in the strap and take a cuff-type reading at the wrist. Cuffless watches such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch estimate blood pressure from pulse-wave data after calibration against an upper-arm cuff. The Apple Watch uses neither method and gives an alert instead of a number.
| Watch | Method | Cuff in the strap? | What you see | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Series 9+ or Ultra 2+ | Optical sensor, 30-day windows | No | A notification, no numbers | FDA-cleared (2025) as notification software, not as a monitor |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch4 or later (Wear OS 4.0+, not Galaxy Fit) | Pulse-wave estimate, arm-cuff calibration every 28 days | No | Estimates, displayed range 70–180 / 40–120 mmHg | US wellness feature, phased rollout from 31 March 2026; not FDA-cleared |
| Huawei Watch D2 | Airbag in the strap, oscillometric | Yes | Wrist reading; Huawei also offers 24-hour monitoring | CE-MDR medical device per Huawei; US status not confirmed |
Samsung's calibration takes three upper-arm cuff measurements within 30 minutes, and its US announcement says the feature is not for diagnosis. Since January 2026, FDA wellness guidance has allowed validated optical estimates like this without clearance if they are not meant for screening, diagnosis or managing disease. The Huawei Watch D2 met the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2018 accuracy standard for seated and lying-down readings in a partly Huawei-funded 2025 study of 85 people, though accuracy during movement has not been established and Huawei calls its data for reference only.
For cuffless estimates, the 2024 ESC guideline says validation standards still need to be developed, and an AHA statement notes that the 2025 AHA/ACC guideline recommends against them for diagnosing or managing high blood pressure. A 2026 review in Hypertension Research found no convincing evidence that any cuffless technology is accurate enough for clinical use, and said watch-style cuff devices deserve close attention but need more research during movement. To check a US device, search the FDA's 510(k) database by name, as its 2025 safety communication suggests; cleared blood pressure monitors generally carry product code DXN. More in can you check blood pressure without a monitor.
What does Apple say to do after a hypertension notification?
Apple says to log blood pressure with a cuff twice a day for 7 days, with reminders after waking and before bedtime, according to the Apple Watch User Guide, and to discuss the notification and those readings with a doctor at the next appointment. Apple's instructions say the week of readings provides "valuable insights for you and your doctor", and describe notifications as potential findings. Only a clinician can diagnose hypertension.
Apple's instructions for use ask for an FDA-cleared blood pressure monitor without naming a cuff type, but its Health app guidance says automatic upper-arm cuffs give the most accurate measurements, so check that yours has been validated.
Apple's week is one reading per session; the home protocol set out in how many blood pressure readings a day asks for two per sitting, morning and evening, for seven days, with day one discarded under NICE guidance (the 2024 ESC guidelines keep it). If your clinician asks for one scheme, follow that one. A printable blood pressure log suits either.
How do I add cuff readings to Apple Health?
Apple Health accepts blood pressure readings typed in by hand. In the Health app on iPhone, tap Search, then Heart, then Blood Pressure, and tap Add a Measurement; enter the date, time, systolic and diastolic values, then tap Add. To start Apple's structured log instead, tap Get Started under Blood Pressure Log in the same Heart section. A completed log can be exported as a PDF for a doctor.
| Health app log | Readings it asks for |
|---|---|
| Learn About My Risk for Hypertension | 7 on waking and 7 at bedtime; closes after 6 months if unfinished |
| Monitor My Hypertension | One a day for 28 days |
Monitor2Log does not sync with Apple Health, Google Fit or any smartwatch. To keep the week in the Monitor2Log diary, type the readings or photograph the monitor's display (scanning needs a sign-in and uses scan units, three free a month) and check each scanned row before saving, since scans can misread digits.
Sources
- Apple, 2025, Hypertension Notification Feature Instructions for Use (US), including its validation studies.
- Apple Support, 2025, hypertension notifications on Apple Watch, with the Apple Watch User Guide steps and the Health app Blood Pressure Log page.
- US Food and Drug Administration, 2025, 510(k) K250507 clearance for the Hypertension Notification Feature, and the safety communication on unauthorised blood pressure devices.
- JAMA, 2026, Cohen JB et al., impact of a smartwatch hypertension notification feature for population screening.
- Hypertension Research, 2026, Stergiou GS et al., the quest for accurate wearable blood pressure monitors, 49(3):1025-1029.
- European Society of Cardiology, 2024, guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension.
General information only, not medical advice. What a notification, a watch estimate or a week of cuff readings means for you is for your own clinician to judge.