Apple Watch’s ECG feature is now more widely available around the world with support for 30 new countries added to the recent watchOS 7.6 software update.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- watchOS 7.6 extends support for ECG to 30 new regions
- Irregular heart rate notifications have expanded, too
- The ECG app is found on Apple Watch Series 4 or newer
Apple Watch’s ECG launches in 30 new countries via watchOS 7.6
Apple released watchOS 7.6 for the compatible Apple Watch models on July 19, 2021.
According to the company’s official release notes that can be found on the Apple website, watchOS 7.6 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including support for the ECG app and the irregular heart rhythm notification feature in 30 additional regions, including Australia, Fiji, Haiti, Japan, Peru, Philippines, Vatican City and Vietnam.
The features were recently approved in Australia ahead of the watchOS 7.6’s release.
For a handy list of all the countries and regions where Apple Watch’s ECG function, the irregular heart rhythm notification and other features are available, visit Apple’s official watchOS Feature Availability webpage.
For the sake of completeness, watchOS 7.6 has brought the aforementioned heart-monitoring features to Apple Watch owners in the following countries:
- Andorra
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Cook Islands
- Cyprus
- Dominica
- Estonia
- Fiji
- French Southern Territories
- Gibraltar
- Guadeloupe
- Guernsey
- Haiti
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Monaco
- Montserrat
- Nauru
- Norfolk Islands
- Seychelles
- Slovenia
- St. Barthelemy
- St. Helena
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Martin
- St. Vincent and Grenadines
- Ukraine
- Vatican City
The ECG app is supported on all Apple Watch models from Series 4 onward.
Tapping into the onboard heart rate sensor and the built-in Heart Rate app, the irregular heart rhythm notification pings the user if their heart rate has been above or below the recommended rate while inactive for 10 minutes.
Such oscillations for no apparent reason could be indicative of potentially dangerous heart rates and lead to more serious conditions, like atrial fibrillation (AFib).