Apple is stepping up its game in India, bringing two health-focused updates to the Apple Watch and AirPods Pro. With these new features, ‘Sleep Apnea Notifications’ and ‘Hearing Tests’, Apple wants to help people catch sleep and hearing problems early, all while keeping personal data private through encrypted, on-device storage.
Sleep Apnea Notifications land on Apple Watch
Now, if you have an Apple Watch SE (3rd gen), Series 9 or newer, or the latest Ultra 2, you can set it to watch for signs of sleep apnea. This is geared toward adults over 18 who have not already been diagnosed. Apple points out that over a billion people worldwide struggle with sleep apnea, but most do not even know it. If ignored, sleep apnea can lead to bigger issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, or Type 2 Diabetes.
Here’s how it works
The Apple Watch uses its accelerometer to track breathing disruptions while you sleep. Over 30 days, the watch looks for patterns that signal moderate to severe sleep apnea. If it spots anything concerning, you will get an alert on your wrist. You can also pull up a detailed report in the Health app and email or message it straight to your doctor. Apple’s algorithm is no slouch, as it is based on 11,000 nights of sleep data, collected from nearly 4,700 people of different ages and body types.
AirPods Pro get a Hearing Test feature
Apple is not stopping with sleep. AirPods Pro (2nd and 3rd generation) users in India now have access to a built-in Hearing Test through the Hearing Help section on iPhones and iPads. The test is simple, as all you need to do is to take just around 5 minutes and checks your hearing at different frequencies, from 250Hz all the way up to 8,000Hz.
How to check the hearing?
You will hear a series of tones through your AirPods and tap your screen every time you pick one up. Each sound plays three times, just to make sure your results are accurate. Before starting, your phone checks for background noise and runs an Ear Tip Fit Test to get the earbud fit right.
When you are done, you get a report with your hearing results (measured in dBHL) and an audiogram, which stays safely stored in the Health app. Want to loop in a healthcare provider?
You can share the results straight from your phone. Apple says this hearing check can deliver results similar to what you’d get at a clinic.
Privacy stays front and center
Apple keeps hammering home its privacy promise. Every bit of your health data, whether it’s on your device or in iCloud is encrypted, and only you hold the keys. The company does not see your information, period. Right now, Apple’s ecosystem covers 18 different health categories across the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods.
How is it helpful to Indian users?
For many people in India, regular checkups for sleep or hearing issues simply do not happen. Features like these bridge that gap, making early screening as easy as wearing a watch or popping in your earbuds. The bottom line, your everyday tech is starting to double as a personal wellness coach, right there on your wrist or in your ear.
