Apple Watch Series 6 blood oxygen monitoring available in more than 100 countries

Apple on Wednesday revealed Apple Watch Series 6 blood oxygen monitoring, a major new feature for the company's wearable line, will be available in more than 100 countries when the device debuts on Friday.

According to Apple's Watch feature availability webpage, the Blood Oxygen app that powers the new health capability will launch in 109 countries. Previously, the company said blood oxygen monitoring would be available in "certain countries" on Sept. 18.

Along with typical compatibility in the U.S. and major European Union states, the feature is also set to debut in important regions like China, Japan and India. Those markets sometimes receive new health-related features months or years after a domestic release due to local government restrictions.

It appears blood oxygen monitoring is not as tightly controlled as Apple Watch's ECG capability, which is still under scrutiny in a number of major markets. For example, the feature was granted regulatory approval in South Korea last month, nearly two years after a U.S. debut in 2018. More recently, Japanese regulators in September approved the Apple Watch ECG solution after a three-month evaluation.

MacRumors spotted Apple's update to Blood Oxygen app availability earlier today.

Apple Watch Series 6 was unveiled at Tuesday's "Time Flies" event. In addition to the new blood oxygen sensor, the wearable features a powerful S6 system in package, brighter always-on display, and new finish options. Orders for the device went live yesterday ahead of wide availability on Friday.