The feature requires the calculation of blood oxygen levels to function. (Express Photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) will be held online on June 20 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the keynote, the company is expected to reveal the upcoming operating systems for its products, including the iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 10.16, watchOS 7 and the tvOS 14.
Apple’s upcoming watchOS 7 will reportedly come with a new feature to warn users about panic attacks. During SlashGear’s Geared Up podcast, tech analyst Jon Prosser explained that this feature will function by constantly checking blood oxygen levels and heart rate. This will help the watch in determining if the user is hyperventilating.
He further stated that hyperventilation is caused due to stress and panic, due to which the person might suffer a panic attack.
With the introduction of this feature, the watch will detect a panic attack before it occurs. After detection, the watch will immediately offer wearers breathing exercises that will help them cope with the situation.
During the podcast, Prosser said that this feature will require new hardware and might not work with Apple Watch Series 5 or below. However, according to earlier reports by YouTuber EverythingApplePro and tipster Max Weinbach, this new feature is expected to be rolled out to Apple Watch Series 4 and onwards.
Prosser said that the feature requires the calculation of blood oxygen levels to function. This means that the watches should consist of a blood oxygen sensor. On paper, all Apple Watch models have the sensor and are capable of calculating blood oxygen levels. However, he added that the watches also require a few other hardware components.
According to a report by PhoneArena, the company might skip the announcement of this feature during WWDC 2020 and Instead, introduce it during the fall event where it will launch the new Watch Series 6.