Apple may reenable the Apple Watch's blood oxygen sensor via software if its ban is overturned

The current Apple Watch situation is a bit of a mess if you are planning on buying one in the United States, and it shows little sign of improving any time soon. But there does appear to be scope for that to happen in the future, according to a new report.

As a reminder, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are currently prohibited from being sold with working blood oxygen sensors as a result of a ruling that confirmed Apple infringed upon a Masimo patent in relation to the technology those wearables use. Apple was forced to disable the feature at the turn of the year, although an appeal has been lodged. Now, it appears that those who buy an Apple Watch with the blood oxygen sensor technology disabled may well be able to get it reenabled at a later date should Apple's appeal be successful.

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That's according to an IP Fray report which notes that new documentation has been published which explains exactly how Apple removed the feature from the Apple Watches being sold today. According to that report, Apple disables the blood oxygen sensor at the point when the wearable is paired with an iPhone but after Masimo tested the software lock it found that it was able to bypass it on a jailbroken device. And while not everyone has a jailbroken iPhone, the fact that the software lock could be bypassed suggests that there could be hope for the future.

Apple is thought to have around a 30% chance of winning out when it comes time for its appeal to be heard, but even if it loses there is light at the end of the tunnel - eventually. The Masimo patent expires in 2028, so Apple can reenable the blood oxygen feature then should it decide to go that route. Alternatively, Apple could choose to license the Masimo technology as a way to deal with the patent issue, something that the Masimo CEO has previously suggested that the company might be open to doing should Apple ask.

It's unclear what will happen next but all eyes will be on the patent appeal to see how things pan out. Masimo CEO Joe Kiani has said as recently as January that while a patent licensing deal could be worked out, he has not heard anything from Apple. He also said that he would want an apology from Apple as part of the settlement, something that seems unlikely to happen.