Back at WWDC 2022, Apple introduced a new watchOS feature called “AFib History”. Expected to arrive later this year with watchOS 9, AFib History can help track the frequency of arrhythmia in people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
However, often when Apple and other companies announce health features like this, there’s a delay in bringing them to Canada because they have to get regulatory approval. This time it looks like AFib History will be eligible for release in Canada – it’s already been approved.
As reported by MacRumors, a Health Canada regulatory filing has approved AFib History for both Apple Watch and iPhone (unfortunately, the health product database appears to be down at the time of writing).
MacRumors notes that Canada appears to be the second country to approve the AFib History feature after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared AFib History after validating it in a clinical trial. In addition, Apple previously said that AFib History on the Apple Watch has an average difference of less than one percent in weekly measurements compared to an FDA-cleared reference device.
AFib History looks like it will be a particularly useful health feature for people with atrial fibrillation. This will help track when a person’s heart shows symptoms of AFib, the time spent in AFib, and the time of day or week when AFib was most active. Additionally, Apple says all data can be shared with doctors via PDF.
It’s also very nice to see Canada among the first to get a new feature like this instead of waiting months after launch for approval.
The watchOS 9 update will likely arrive in the fall (probably September) alongside the company’s new Apple Watch and iPhone models. watchOS 9 is currently available in beta.
Source: Health Canada Via: MacRumors
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