Your Apple Watch can now detect sleep apnea and AirPods Pro can test hearing in India
Apple has officially introduced two major health-focused features in India. Supported Apple Watch models can now detect possible signs of sleep apnea, while AirPods Pro users can take a built-in hearing test directly through their iPhone or iPad.
Published By: Deepti Ratnam | Published: May 21, 2026, 11:18 AM (IST)
Apple has finally expanded two of the most important health-focused features in India by enhancing healthcare capabilities in both Apple Watch and AirPods Pro. The tech giant has announced to rollout Sleep Apnea Notifications on Apple Watch and the Hearing Test feature on AirPods in the country. The significant announcement came after the company received regulatory approval for both features.
The move of bringing healthcare features in India by Apple marks a major step in company's push toward preventive clinical care through consumer technology. Both features are designed with an aim to help users detect serious health issues earlier while keeping their personal medical data private. Your data will remain private through encrypted on-device processing.
Apple Watch Can Now Detect Signs Of Sleep Apnea
According to Apple, the new Sleep Apnea in Apple Watch will now be available in India for compatible Apple Watch models. These models include Apple Watch SE , Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 lineup, and new models.
The feature is designed for adults 18 years of age and above who have not already been diagnosed with sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea
Talking about the Sleep Apnea, it is considered one of the most undiagnosed sleep disorder globally. As per Apple, over one billion people worldwide are undiagnosed and estimated to suffer from the condition. If the condition is untreated, then it can increase the risk of several other diseases like cardiovascular diseases, hypertensions, and Type 2 diabetes.
In order to detect potential symptoms, Apple Watch uses it's build in accelerometer to monitor breathing disturbances during sleep. The system majorly analyzes patterns in a 30 day period and look for repeated signs. These signs are generally associated with moderate to severe sleep apnea.
Users will receive a notification via the Health app if the watch identifies concerning patterns
Users Can Generate A PDF Health Report
According to Apple, you can also generate detailed PDF report that will contain sleep data and breathing disturbances. Then, you can share the report directly with doctors or healthcare professionals through email and messaging apps.
The tech giant revealed that the algorithm that's working behind this feature was trained using more than 11,000 nights of sleep data collected from around 4,700 participants. These people belonged to different age groups, ethnic backgrounds, body types, and genders.
Additionally, the system also recalibrates itself every 30 days so that it can improve long-term accuracy.
AirPods Pro Now Offer A Built-In Hearing Test
Besides sleep apnea in Apple Watch, the company has also introduced the Hearing Test feature for Airpods Pro users in India.
The feature is available on AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and AirPods Pro (3rd generation). The feature will allow users to assess their hearin directly through their iPhone or iPad.
As per Apple, the entire hearing assessment takes around five minutes to complete.
How Process Works
The process of Hearing Test feature works by playing tones across different frequencies. It ranges from 250Hz to 8,000Hz. Users can simply tap the screen whenever they hear a sound through earbuds. Each tone is repeated multiple times to improve accuracy.
However, before the test begins, the system will perform a background noise analysis so that it can ensure the surrounding environment is quite enough for reliable results. Furthermore, your Airpods Pro will conduct an Ear Tip Fit Test to verify proper acoustic sealing inside the ear canal.
Hearing Results Are Stored Inside The Health App
As soon as the test will be completed, users will receive a detailed hearing metrics measured in decibels of Hearing Level. In addition, it will also complete audiogram stored inside Apple's Health app.
According to the company, users can export these reports and then share them directly with healthcare experts.
Apple Continues Expanding Health Features Across Devices
The new release extends Apple's health capabilities to 18 new health categories in its ecosystem, which includes iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods Pro.
The company also highlighted its privacy measures for health information. All medical information is encrypted both on device and in iCloud and even Apple doesn't have access to the decryption keys, Apple says.
As the features are now being introduced in India, it demonstrates the transformation of wearable technology from fitness-tracking devices to health monitoring and preventive health care tools.
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