I went to the United States, activated the ECG on Apple Watch and I say how it is
Thanks to the update of watchOS 5.2, you can now run the electrocardiogram on Apple Watch Series 4 watches from Polish distribution. There is only a small snag. To turn on the ECG, you need to go on a trip.
ECG is one of the most interesting features of Apple's 4th Generation Watch. Smartwatches from this line have been designed to study the heart rate of the owner. To do this, simply place the index finger on the lace and the device will start sending an electrical impulse and generate a characteristic graph on the screen.
Of course, the watch can not replace professional medical equipment, but it can be helpful - and not only for people with heart problems. Even if Apple Watch is not enough to make a full diagnosis, which the manufacturer reminds at every step, it can give the user a signal that it's time to talk to a specialist.
Apple Watch and ECG - not for everyone
Unfortunately, at the beginning the availability of this feature was limited to the United States. Models sold outside of Apple's home market, where the company received the appropriate permits, despite having appropriate components, could not perform the measurement. Interestingly, to get around this, it was not enough to simply change the region - it was blocked at the serial number level.
With the arrival of the watchOS 5.2 system, however, this has changed. Although Poland is still not on the list of countries covered by Apple Watch ECG support, there is already a way to use the electrocardiogram on the watch from Polish distribution. However, you must go on a trip to the region where it is available.
How do you run an ECG on Apple Watch?
Even connecting a phone to a computer and simulating a remote GPS location using Xcode is not enough to cheat the system . In practice, to activate the electrocardiogram in the Apple Watch Series 4, you have to ... go abroad. The telephone with which the watch is attached must connect with the foreign operator's base station for a moment.
I checked in practice whether a trip is enough to start an ECG last weekend. During a business trip to the United States, I updated the system to watchOS 5.2. After restarting the device in the Health app for the iPhone and in the list of applications for the smartwatch, appropriate items appeared. I can also confirm that the function did not disappear after returning to Poland.
How does the ECG work on Apple Watch?
I have recently performed a classic ECG and it was ... madly annoying. First, I had to lie motionless when the person carrying out the test strapped me under the sensors, and then I received a little handy paper chart. In the case of a watch, the measurement is as simple as the construction of the flail. After activating the application, simply place your finger on the crown and wait 30 seconds.
It's enough for the graph to appear on the watch screen, which will also be sent in the form of a notification on the phone. The results can also be viewed in the Health app. However, you can not move during the test. If the sensors in the watch detect motion, the countdown timer will go back. However, you do not have to restart the measurement manually.
The most annoying in the whole process were various warnings.
Apple doubles up and over to emphasize that Apple Watch can not replace professional medical equipment. The company suggests not once and not two during the whole process to contact a doctor. After the test, however, the application informs you, however, about how the algorithms interpret the obtained results.
In my case, the watch, fortunately, did not find the atrial fibrillation. It coincides with the diagnosis I recently received from the doctor. What's interesting, Apple allows you to add annotations to the obtained result, if the user, despite not having problems, feels bad.
However, I am very curious if and when an electrocardiogram in a smart watch becomes a standard and how to approach this research will be doctors, especially in such countries as Poland. For now, we do not have an official access tool for this.
List of countries that support ECG on the Apple Watch Series 4:
- United States;
- Hong Kong;
- Austria;
- Belgium;
- Denmark;
- Finland;
- France;
- Greece;
- Spain;
- Netherlands;
- Ireland;
- Luxembourg;
- Germany;
- Portugal;
- Romania;
- Switzerland;
- Sweden;
- Hungary;
- Italy;
- United Kingdom.
Have a great trip!
I went to the United States, activated the ECG on Apple Watch and I say how it is
Comments
Post a Comment