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# Apple Watch blood-oxygen removal in the US, via @markgurman — confirmed

@markgurman said on Jan 15, 2024 that modified watches were heading to US stores. Apple began selling them on Jan 18.

Leaked on 15 January 2024

![Evidence tray card: Apple Watch blood-oxygen removal in the US, via @markgurman — confirmed](https://leakly.com/assets/og/apple-watch-blood-oxygen-removal.png)

On Jan 15, 2024, @markgurman posted that Apple had begun shipping modified Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 units to US retail stores, and that Masimo said US Customs had approved a software change removing blood oxygen. (source: [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-15/apple-to-remove-watch-blood-oxygen-app-to-avoid-ban-masimo-says))

> **Mark Gurman** @markgurman
>
> NEW: Apple has begun shipping modified Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 watches to retail stores in the US. Today, Masimo says the US Customs agency has approved an Apple software change that \*removes\* blood oxygen from the devices. https://t.co/YjnN7nAFtH
>
> 546 likes · 63 reposts · counts as of 09 Nov 2026, 07:12 UTC
>
> — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) [January 15, 2024](https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/1746957486807236929)

not in our leaker index

[The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/15/24034324/apple-watch-ban-us-customs-decision) reported the same day that the watches would drop blood oxygen features to get around the import ban. On Jan 18, Apple started selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 without the feature; units sold in the US from that date carry part numbers ending in LW/A, and an Apple spokesperson sent a statement.

Confirmed. [The](https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/17/24042395/apple-watch-ultra-2-series-9-ban-blood-oxygen-stores) change applied to watches sold in the US by Apple on or after Jan 18, 2024.

[Confirmed]

## What happened later

Confirmed: Apple sold US watches without blood oxygen from Jan 18, 2024.

## Sources

* [Original X post by @markgurman](https://x.com/markgurman/status/1746957486807236929)
* [Bloomberg — Apple (AAPL) to Remove Blood-Oxygen Tool to Avoid US Ban, Masimo Says](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-15/apple-to-remove-watch-blood-oxygen-app-to-avoid-ban-masimo-says)
* [The Verge — Apple Watch drops blood oxygen features to dodge the import ban](https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/15/24034324/apple-watch-ban-us-customs-decision)
* [The Verge — Apple’s selling Ultra 2 and Series 9 Watches without the banned blood oxygen features](https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/17/24042395/apple-watch-ultra-2-series-9-ban-blood-oxygen-stores)

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