Apple Watch Series 8 Expected To Come With Body Temperature Gauge, Even Fertility Notifications

Apple Watch will appear with a variety of new features. (photo; doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - The upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 will reportedly appear with a body temperature sensor that can tell if you have a fever. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman report, this feature instead of giving you precise readings, the watch should be able to detect spikes in body temperature, and then prompt the user to call a doctor immediately or use a thermometer to take his temperature precisely.

Gurman said the body temperature sensor still has to pass internal testing, and if it does, Apple is expected to include the feature in the Watch Series 8, as well as its rumored "rugged" smartwatch for extreme sports athletes. However, the entry-level Apple Watch SE that will be launching will likely not have a sensor.

Rumors of a new body temperature sensor have been circulating for over a year. Gurman first pointed out the possibility of the new feature in June 2021. But his predictions were later backtracked in January this year.

He then updated his predictions once again in April, noting that we can expect body temperature sensors "at least this year." Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believes the body sensors in smartwatches will debut later this year.

Previous reports from Gurman and The Wall Street Journal suggested that body temperature sensors could also be used for fertility tracking. This is because changes in body temperature can help a person determine when they are more likely to become pregnant, or even predict when they will conceive within the appropriate period.

Gurman only mentioned fever detection in his latest report, so it's still unclear how or if Apple plans to add a woman's fertility cycle tracking capability.

Aside from the body temperature sensor, Gurman said any other changes to the Apple Watch hardware "may be minor" and also hinted at a possible display upgrade on the high-end model.

Gurman predicted last week that the Series 8 processors would have the same level of performance as the previous S7 and S6 chips. But we likely won't see a significant increase until 2023.

In terms of health tracking features on other upcoming devices, Gurman said the new AirPods Pro models, which are rumored to be fitness focused, will likely not come with temperature or heart rate detection this year.