Apple Watch Users Report Vitals Applications Able To Detect Diseases Before Symptoms Appear

Vitals app, which comes in watchOS 11, (photo: x @MunshiPremChnd)

JAKARTA - Apple's new app, Vitals, which comes on watchOS 11, has caught the attention of Apple Watch users after reportedly being able to detect potential disease a few days before symptoms appear. The report appears on the Reddit platform, where some users claim to have received early warnings about their health conditions before they feel any symptoms.

The Vitals app, available on the Apple Watch Series 8 and the latest models, including the Apple Watch Ultra series, analyzes important health data measured during sleep in the last seven days. These data include heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen levels. The app then maps the normal range for each user and provides notifications if there are anomalies falling outside that range.

A Reddit user with the name RCG21 shared his experience using this feature: "I started using Vitals since the beta was released, and since then I have been sick twice. Second time, the app found out a few days before, even though I haven't felt anything."

Another user, dalethomas81, shared a screenshot of his Vitals data, stating that the app showed anomalies a few days before he really felt sick. The user then felt symptoms of the disease began to appear in the evening.

Some users also reported that the Vitals app was able to detect changes due to the vaccine before symptoms related to the vaccine appeared. One user, TizianosBoy, said that after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and flu, its vital metrics such as wrist temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate came out of the normal range, signaling a body's reaction to the vaccine.

Although most users praise the accuracy of this application, the experience varies. There are also users who report that the app does not detect their disease, showing the results can be different for each individual.

Although the Vitals app looks capable of providing early warnings regarding disease, Apple emphasizes that this application is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. In addition, the ability to measure blood oxygen levels is no longer available on Apple Watches sold in the United States after January 18, 2024, following a legal decision regarding Masimo's patent violation of the oxymmetry feature on the device.