Apple Watch ECG feature reportedly nears Australian approval

Health authorities in Australia have approved the irregular rhythm notification feature of Apple Watch, which prompts users to use the ECG function when needed.

Apple's ECG feature, introduced in the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018, has been slowly gaining government approval for us in the US, South Korea, and more. Now the first signs of it being tested in Australia have emerged, with local authorities approving the related irregular rhythm notification feature.

As first spotted by local publication EFTM, this Apple Watch ability to check your heart rate has been added to the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). This means that Apple is allowed to use this particular feature, but it is not the same as full ECG approval yet.

According to EFTM, this is the first indication that Apple has been submitting its Apple Watch system for testing and approval. The ARTG entry refers to notifying the user of an issue, but does not then say that there is an ECG function they can be asked to use.

"It is not intended to provide a notification on every episode of irregular rhythm suggestive of AFib and the absence of a notification is not intended to indicate no disease process is present," says the official ARTG entry. "[Rather] the feature is intended to opportunistically surface a notification of possible AFib when sufficient data are available for analysis."

The ECG function requires an Apple Watch Series 4 or later, but the irregular rhythm notification works with any Watch running watchOS 5.1.2 or later.

5 Comments

lolliver 10 Years · 498 comments

About 3 years ago

Really hope this feature is released here soon. There is a history of heart issues in my family. Would be nice to be able to do an ECG regularly rather than just my two yearly check up (which I will still do of course).

iqatedo 21 Years · 1812 comments

AppleInsider said:

Health authorities in Australia have approved the irregular rhythm notification feature of Apple Watch, which prompts users to use the ECG function when needed.

"It is not intended to provide a notification on every episode of irregular rhythm suggestive of AFib ...

Shortly after I had purchased a series 4, my wife received around 27 emergency calls notifying her of me possibly having fallen. I was on a long bicycle ride. 'Find My' allowed her to see that I was moving through it all.

AlanWynn 5 Years · 23 comments

iqatedo said:
Shortly after I had purchased a series 4, my wife received around 27 emergency calls notifying her of me possibly having fallen. I was on a long bicycle ride. 'Find My' allowed her to see that I was moving through it all.

Really? How did that happen? The watch calls emergency services (911 in the U.S.) and then sends a text message to the emergency contacts.

MoorePhotography 6 Years · 21 comments

It’s about time! Not that we actually have it yet. It’s ridiculous how long it has taken Apple to get this approval given how much they touted this capability only for the world outside of the US to discover they hadn’t even bothered to start the approval process in any countries other than the US. They’ve released new Apple Watch models since this was first sold as a feature!!!

laytech 15 Years · 342 comments

MoorePhotography said:

It’s about time! Not that we actually have it yet. It’s ridiculous how long it has taken Apple to get this approval given how much they touted this capability only for the world outside of the US to discover they hadn’t even bothered to start the approval process in any countries other than the US. They’ve released new Apple Watch models since this was first sold as a feature!!!

Agreed. Painfully long time, like ApplePay. Australians are early adopters of technology but are forced to wait due antiquated systems.

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