Apple Watch "The Most Powerful Health Update Ever" - Blood Pressure Notifications and Sleep Score Now Available on Older Models: Your Wrist as the Gateway to Healthcare

The "Biggest Health Update" Reaching Older Device Users

The latest health features announced by Apple won't be exclusive to new models.With the release of watchOS 26, new elements such as Hypertension Notifications, Live Translation, and Wrist Flick will be widely available for Apple Watch Series 9 and later, and Ultra 2 and later. Additionally, the Sleep Score will be expanded to Series 6 and later, SE 2nd generation and later, and all Ultra models. This announcement provides a "practical benefit" from a health perspective for users who were hesitant to upgrade.The VergeApple9to5Mac

What's Changing? Key Points in Three Lines

• Hypertension Notifications: Learn vascular responses from heart rate waveforms over 30 days to detect and notify signs of chronic hypertension (not a diagnostic feature). Expected approval from FDA and other regulatory bodies this month, launching in 150+ regions. Supported on Series 9/10/11 & Ultra 2/3.The VergeApple9to5MacAppleInsider

• Sleep Score: Integrates heart rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and respiratory rate to score each morning. Supported on Series 6 and later, SE 2nd generation and later, all Ultra models (requires iPhone 11 and later).The VergeApple9to5Mac

• Wrist Flick: Quickly dismiss notifications and alarms with a flick of the wrist. Limited to Series 9/10/Ultra 2 and later.Apple

The release date for watchOS 26 is September 15. On the day of release, compatible devices will receive a substantial feature update.The Verge

The "Design Philosophy" of Hypertension Notifications: Capturing "Signs" Rather Than Diagnosing

According to Apple's explanation, this notification estimates vascular responses to pulsations, such as vascular stiffness, from the signals of the optical heart rate sensor, and through continuous learning over 30 days, it finds and notifies patterns "suspected of hypertension." Instead of measuring numerical values (systolic/diastolic blood pressure), it provides "awareness" from long-term trends. If approved, it will be available in over 150 regions, including the US and EU, this month, and users receiving notifications are also recommended to take practical actions such as "measuring with a cuff for 7 days and sharing with healthcare providers," which is in line with the **American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines**.AppleMacRumors

Reasons for Limiting Supported Models to "Series 9 and Later"

It is believed that the requirements of the algorithm, sensor generation, and securing computational resources are the background, narrowing the range to Series 9/10/11 and Ultra 2/3. This delineation is consistent across cross-checks by news media.9to5MacAppleInsider

The Expansion of Sleep Score: "Daily Indicators" for Series 6 and Later

The Sleep Score reflects the latest guidance from the Apple Heart and Movement Study's over 5 million nights of data and organizations like AASM/NSF/World Sleep Society, comprehensively evaluating sleep duration, regularity, number of awakenings, and stage distribution. The scope is wide with Series 6 and later, allowing users to check the daily score and breakdown on their wrist and in the iPhone Health app. As an implementation requirement, it needs an iPhone 11 and later.Apple

Wrist Flick and Daily UX: Swiftly Handling with One Hand

Though subtle, Wrist Flick is effective in daily life. With just a flick of the wrist, operations such as dismissing notifications, muting calls, stopping timers and alarms, and returning to the watch face are possible. This small evolution reduces stress in active situations or crowded trains for "one-handed operation." Supported on Series 9/10/Ultra 2 and later.Apple

Reactions on Social Media: A Three-Layer Structure of Praise, Questions, and Confusion

• Praise: "Surprised that the new health features weren't exclusive to new models. Happy that they are available on Series 9." The point of opening the door to older device users is positively received.Reddit

• Questions: While the Sleep Score is easy to understand, questions about the calculation method of Hypertension Notifications and differences between models are frequent. Threads like "How is it determined?" and "Why is it not supported on U1?" have grown.Reddit

• Confusion: The scope of Wrist Flick support has been debated since the early stages of information release, with users feeling puzzled about "Why only the latest generation?" The division of functionality is drawing mixed reactions.Reddit

Practical Guide: What to Do When a Notification Comes?

1. Don't hastily interpret it as a "diagnosis": This is not a medical diagnosis but a risk notification. First, reflect on lifestyle logs (sleep, exercise, salt intake, stress).Apple

2. Measure with a cuff for "7 days": If possible, continue recording morning and evening with an upper-arm blood pressure monitor, save it in the app, and share with healthcare providers.MacRumors

3. Check the availability in your region: The approval and distribution this month are prerequisites. Note that there may be cases of exclusion depending on country, region, age, and medical history (diagnosed hypertension/pregnancy, etc.).Apple

4. Updating to watchOS 26: Distributed on September 15. Update the iPhone to the latest iOS if necessary.The Verge

Why the "Unlocking for Older Models" Now?

In recent years, Apple has been nurturing health features as the core of its ecosystem value. Especially in areas like hypertension, which have a high prevalence and a large number of unawareness, the breadth of the base = public value can be significant. This decision to expand support to Series 9 and later while maintaining the appeal of the latest devices can be read as a message prioritizing **"health pressure" over "replacement pressure."** The Verge's report also emphasizes the opening to older models simultaneously with the announcement of the latest lineup.The Verge##HTML