Apple prepares Apple Watch ban workaround by disabling blood oxygen tracker

Published January 15, 2024 1:27pm ET



U.S. customs officials have provided Apple a loophole to continue selling Apple Watches in the United States after the tech giant was banned from doing so over a patent dispute.

Officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection decided on Friday that Apple could continue to sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. if it disabled the pulse oximeter, according to a filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The product was initially banned by the International Trade Commission in late December due to a patent dispute between Apple and the medical technology company Masimo over Apple’s implementation of a blood oxygen tracker into the device. While the federal court is still considering Apple’s appeal, the CBP decision could allow Apple to sell devices while the matter is resolved.

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