IOS 26 Beta 7 Brings Back Blood Oxygen Measurement Features

JAKARTA - Apple officially released iOS 26 beta 7 for developers on Monday 18 August, just a week after the sixth beta was launched. This update brings back the blood oxygen measurement feature on Apple Watch, which was previously disabled, and adds a new option called Adaptive Power Notifications.

This update with the build number 23A5326a continues the Liquid Glass design which was introduced in the previous version, but is now accompanied by several improvements. In addition, iOS 26 overall also brings many new features such as improvements in Image Playground, Shortcuts, as well as additional features in the Messages and Phone applications.

Apple even added a special application called Games, as well as presenting a Foundation Models framework that allows developers to take advantage of Apple Intelligence in third-party applications. Visual Intelligence now also supports screenshots.

The blood oxygen measurement feature first appeared in September 2020 through the Apple Watch Series 6. However, in January 2024, this feature was disabled in the United States due to a patent dispute with medical technology company Massimo.

Now, through iOS 26 beta 7 and watchOS 11.6.1, the feature is finally back available. The solution Apple takes is to process the Apple Watch sensor data directly on the paired iPhone. Measurement results can then be seen in the Apple Health app, to be precise in the Respiratory section. Apple said this step was made possible thanks to the latest decision from US Customs.

This feature can be used on iPhones with iOS 26 beta 7 connected to Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, or Apple Watch Ultra 2 which runs watchOS 11.6.1.

In addition to bringing back the health feature, Apple also added a new option in the Settings menu > Battery > Power Mode under the name Adaptive Power Notifications.

If activated, this feature will give a warning when the iPhone starts adjusting performance to extend battery life. This adjustment can be in the form of a decrease in screen brightness to automatically activate Low Power Mode when the battery is 20 percent left.

Adaptive Power Mode first appeared on iOS 26 as a complement to the existing Low Power Mode since iOS 9 was launched in September 2015.

In addition to the new feature, Apple has also made few visual changes to the Liquid Glass design. The Control Center background now looks darker than the previous beta version.

Overall, iOS 26 beta 7 focuses on the return of blood oxygen measurement features and the addition of the Adaptive Power Notifications option. Apple usually releases new beta versions every one to two weeks, so developers and registered users can look forward to more features and refinements in the upcoming release.