A Beginner s Guide to Using Your Smartwatch for Blood Oxygen Level Monitoring and Understanding the Results

Beginner's guide: How to set up and start using your new Apple Watch

When it comes to gadgets, our favorite is the Apple Watch. It's great for tracking fitness, time, messages and calls on-the-go, and so much more. Plus, it looks great on any wrist, and fairly simple to use. If you just picked up the best Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 7, then you want to make sure that it's set up properly and customized to your liking. Here's how to get started with your new Apple Watch!

What's new with Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch Series 7 is the latest and greatest smartwatch from Apple. With the Series 7, you'll have pretty much everything from the Series 6, including always-on altimeter, blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, Fall Detection, always-on display, and more. The Series 7 does add fast-charging capabilities with the new USB-C charger, and a slightly larger display at 41mm or 45mm sizes.

How to set up and pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone

While the Apple Watch and your best iPhone may be two very different pieces of hardware, one of them cannot exist without the other. After all, once you turn on your Apple Watch, the next step is to pair it with an iPhone if you plan to use it at all.

In order to set up and pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone, you're going to have to use the Apple Watch app on iOS. It should already be installed on your iPhone, or you can download it again on the App Store if you've previously removed it.

Say 'hello' to watchOS

As watchOS continues to evolve, it only gets better when it comes to improving its users' lives. Here are the things that you can do with watchOS 8, as well as other tips and tricks.

When it comes to navigating your Apple Watch, it is pretty straightforward, but you may need some time to get used to it. After all, you have the Dock on your Apple Watch that displays your recently opened or favorite apps. You'll also get notifications on your Apple Watch throughout the day, which can be incredibly convenient. Your Apple Watch also has Siri, making it possible to use your smartwatch completely hands-free if need be! And while you're at it, don't forget to check out the secret Apple Watch controls that you can use with the Digital Crown.

If you want to get the most out of watchOS, make sure to check out some of our tips and tricks that you should know. And if you want to be even more productive, we have 15 power tips for you and your Apple Watch too.

How to customize your Apple Watch

While the Apple Watch is a simple device that goes on your wrist, there are actually a ton of ways to customize it to make it truly yours. If you want to know how to personalize it, then read on!

The first thing you're going to see on your Apple Watch is the face. Thankfully, you can change watch faces whenever you want. You can even add and remove multiple watch faces as you see fit. When you want to add some pizazz to it, make sure to choose your own face styles and colors for your Apple Watch face.

When we say you can pick out your own face styles and colors, there are a few different ways to go about that. You can go with the Kaleidoscope face for a cool, psychedelic effect, or add your own photo or time-lapse to a watch face. You can also add a personal monogram, and make the Modular face multicolored instead of going with a singular hue.

Another thing about watch faces that can be customized are the complications. These are bits of data that show up in various spots on the watch face, even from third-party apps, and they're incredibly handy. Here's how to add complications to your Apple Watch.

Next on the list of things to do with your new Apple Watch is to make sure that the settings are how you like them. You'll want to make sure that you name or rename your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch to ensure that you can recognize it easily. After all, a lot of people have these devices, so you want to make sure you can differentiate yours from the crowd!

Since the Apple Watch is essential for getting notifications, you'll want to make sure that your notifications are customized to your liking. I mean, do you really need notifications for absolutely everything? Not really. So make sure to only have notifications on for Apple Watch for the essential apps.

And if you want to use complications for weather, stocks, and the world clock, make sure that the default options are what you want. After all, what good is knowing what the weather is like when it isn't for where you are right now?

The Apple Watch will come with plenty of first-party apps from Apple, including Messages, Workouts, Activity, and more. There are default responses and goals, but you can also change these as you see fit.

With Messages, you can add custom message responses to your Apple Watch. This can sound more personal than the default canned responses, and you can have some fun with them too.

You can also customize workouts on your Apple Watch to display different metrics during your workout sessions. This is useful when you just want to see specific metrics and not every little thing that the Watch is tracking. And while the default goals for exercise and stand are pretty standard, you can tweak your Apple Watch goals to something that is more reasonably tailored to your lifestyle.

If you know others who also have an Apple Watch, you can use Activity Sharing to see how their progress is coming along each day. This also lets you compete with them too!

How to find apps for Apple Watch

Since watchOS 6, Apple added a dedicated App Store right on the Apple Watch itself. This means you no longer need to use your iPhone to find Apple Watch apps, but do keep in mind that the Apple Watch App Store is not as robust. Still, it's better than nothing here's how to use the App Store on your Apple Watch. And once you find some apps you like, we can show you how to automatically install, rearrange, and delete apps on your Apple Watch. And if there are any issues, you can also force quit apps on the Apple Watch too.

In need of suggestions on Apple Watch apps? Yeah, we get it you may feel a bit overwhelmed. We have some roundups of the best Apple Watch apps and third-party Apple Watch complications. And while the default Activity and Workouts apps are nice, there are tons of great health and fitness apps from other developers, and plenty of meditation apps if you need to unwind.

Accessorize your Apple Watch

Now, when it comes to customizing your Apple Watch, you don't just stop at the software. No, no, you must accessorize your Apple Watch with bands and accessories! There are a ton of different band choices out there, which not only add a new splash of color to your Apple Watch, but can dress it up for a night out in the town or when you have a professional business meeting. Plus, some bands work better for sweaty workout sessions, and you don't want to ruin your fancier bands. Other Apple Watch accessories can help protect the screen or casing, provide you with a more convenient way to charge, and more.

If you don't know where to start, make sure to check out what we recommend for some of the best Apple Watch bands and accessories out there.

Troubleshooting Apple Watch

As fantastic as the Apple Watch is, it's definitely not perfect. Sometimes things just don't work the way you need or want them to, and issues arise. If you have a basic problem, make sure to first check out our Apple Watch troubleshooting guide first.

If those steps did not help, then you may need to try some other actions, like restarting and resetting your Apple Watch. But of course, before you wipe out anything, you'll want to make sure you back up your Apple Watch first, so all of that data isn't lost. If all else fails, you might need to unpair your Apple Watch and then pair it up again.

But if you're still having problems, then we have solutions. Perhaps your Apple Watch just isn't connecting to your iPhone? Is auto-unlock not working? Or maybe you're having problems updating watchOS to the latest version, or have a stuck app install. No worries we have you covered with all of our troubleshooting guides.

We all want the best battery life on our devices, right? You may feel that your Apple Watch isn't getting the best battery life these days, and if that's the case, it's okay. Batteries drain over time, but here are some solutions to fixing watchOS and Apple Watch battery life issues if they still persist. And always make sure that you're on the latest version of watchOS by updating the software. And if you ever lose your Apple Watch, make sure to find it with the Find My iPhone app.

For those who are getting a new iPhone 13 or other iPhone, you may be worried about how to pair an existing Apple Watch with a new iPhone. It's actually easy, and not as scary as it sounds. But if you're wondering if you can use one Apple Watch with multiple iPhones or even an Android, the short answer is no, you can't.

You can, however, switch between multiple Apple Watches. You may be wondering why you would want to use two or more Apple Watches. Perhaps you want one to wear during the day and one at night for sleep tracking. Or you have an aluminum model that you want to use for workouts, and a stainless steel or titanium model for fancier nights out. The possibilities are endless!

Enjoy your new Apple Watch

Now that you've gone through our Apple Watch beginner's guide, we hope you enjoy your new Apple Watch! It's definitely an amazing little device, and one that has improved the lives of many people.

8 Best Smartwatches with Oxygen Sensor (SPO2) in 2022

Smartwatches have long had many health-tracking features, but theres a growing trend in the market for smartwatches with blood oxygen monitors (pulse oximeter) to track the oxygen saturation in your blood.I primarily use a smartwatch for its health and fitness tracking, so I see the appeal of a smartwatch that monitors your blood oxygen. So Ive been researching the market to find the best devices with pulse oximeters and have shared everything I found in this guide.My top pick is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 because its a great all-around watch that you can wear for any occasion. It has an accurate SpO2 monitor and other health trackings such as heart rate and ECG. The rotating bezel makes it a breeze to navigate, plus you can store music on it, use it to make calls, and respond to notifications directly on the watch.Quick Picks:Please keep reading for my complete breakdown of the best smartwatches that measure your blood oxygen, including an FDA-approved model, budget picks, and one with two-week battery life.

What You Need to Know About Blood Oxygen Monitors in Smartwatches

A blood oxygen monitor (also known as a SpO2 monitor or a pulse oximeter) measures the oxygen saturation of your blood.You can use this to measure how well the heart is pumping oxygen through your body and detect conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and congenital heart defects.A pulse oximeter must be approved as a Class II medical device by the FDA to be used for medical diagnosis. However, most pulse oximeters in smartwatches (except for Fitbit) have not received approval from the FDA as they have been positioned as informative rather than for medical purposes. This means you shouldnt rely on them to diagnose or monitor health conditions.So what else can an SPO2 monitor be used for? Well, they are particularly useful for endurance training, especially at altitude, where you can assess how well your body is coping with the atmosphere. They are also helpful in monitoring your sleep quality and can help detect sleeping disorders such as sleep apnea.

Best Smartwatches that Measure Blood Oxygen Levels

Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

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Pros/Cons: Accuracy rivals medical grade devices (although not FDA certified) 8GB of offline music storage The rotating bezel makes it fast and easy to navigate Battery life will only make 2 daysSamsungs Galaxy Watch 3 is their latest flagship smartwatch and the only one in their range to offer bloody oxygen monitoring via an SPO2 sensor.The blood oxygen data is integrated into the Samsung Health app, one of the better health apps on a smartphone. Youll find your SpO2 readings under the Stress tab, where you can also take a spot reading.Although the watch has not gone through FDA approval for its SpO2 monitor, a report by Medrxiv found that the same monitor found in Samsungs S9 flagship smartphone did meet the accuracy required for such approval.The Galaxy Watch 3 runs Tizen, Samsungs open-source smartwatch operating system used in their wearables and other smart home gadgets. Even with third-party apps installed, the platform is speedy to navigate, aided further by the watchs 1GB of RAM.Thanks to 8GB of offline storage, you can store offline music and connect your headphones directly to it for tether-free use. It also has GPS, NFC for making contactless payments via Samsung Pay, and the ability to install third-party apps (although a more limited selection of apps than Googles WearOS or Apples watchOS).The best feature of this watch is Samsungs signature rotating bezel used to navigate the user interface. With so many features and the ability to add third-party apps, you have to scroll through a fair amount of menus, however, the rotating bezel makes light work of this, and the feedback makes it easy to choose the right option.

Runner Up: Ticwatch Pro 3

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Pros/Cons: The dual-screen display gives a battery life of 3-5 days Dedicated TicOxygen app for monitoring SpO2 Make and receive callsNext up is the Ticwatch Pro 3 from Mobvoi. This is one of the best WearOS smartwatches on the market and the only one that currently has a pulse oximeter. As Googles own software doesnt yet have blood oxygen monitoring built-in, they have created a TicOxygen app that comes pre-installed to take readings.This is in addition to the broad range of other apps that come bundled with the watch from Mobvoi, including TicZen for stress monitoring, TicBreathe for guided breathing exercises, and TicHearing, which measures environmental noise.The pulse oximeter isnt the only area that the Ticwatch Pro 3 outperforms the other WearOS watches on the market. It also features their signature dual screen with an overlaid LCD screen on top of the smartwatch screen.The LCD screen shows the watch face similar to the display youd find on a traditional digital watch. The underlying smartwatch screen will turn on instead when you use the smartwatch functions.This is beneficial for the battery life as the LCD screen uses far less power. For this reason, the Ticwatch Pro 3 has a battery life of 3 days with regular usage or up to 5 days with light usage. This is almost double the battery life of any other smartwatch running WearOS.

Best for iPhone Users: Apple Watch Series 6

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Pros/Cons: New always-on display Integrates with Apple Music, Apple Pay, and Siri Large range of third-party apps Only works with iPhones Battery life of 18 hoursIf youre an iPhone user, then the Series 6 Apple Watch is a great choice. Its the latest generation of the Apple Watch with the new blood oxygen app.Whilst most blood oxygen monitors found in smartphones use a green light to measure oxygen saturation, the Apple Watch has green, red, and infrared LEDs that work together to compensate for natural variations in skin color (source).The watch can either take a spot check of your blood oxygen or, with background measurements turned on, it can periodically take a reading to provide readings across the day. It will attempt to take readings when you arent moving. Both spot readings and background readings can be seen in the Health app on your iPhone.Thats not all thats changed in the latest Series 6 device, its much faster than before, thanks to a new S6 SiP processor, which Apple claims improves app launch speed by 20%. It also introduces an always-on display and brings the digital crown with haptic feedback that Apple launched in the Series 5.The biggest downside to the Apple Watch is that you can only use it with an iPhone, so its best avoided if you have an Android phone. However, if you have an iPhone, the watch integrates seamlessly with the rest of Apples Ecosystem, making it easy to access Apple Music, Apple Pay, and Siri.As always with Apple, design plays a huge role, and the watch looks seamless and is comfortable to wear. The Series 6 comes in a choice of aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium with several band color choices.

Best for Battery Life: Amazfit GTR 2

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Pros/Cons: Premium looking design at an affordable price Realistic 10-day battery life Make calls from the device via the built-in microphone and speaker Lift-to-wake can take a couple of seconds to wake the screenThe final watch on this list is the Amazfit GTR 2. This is the second Amazfit that Ive included in these recommendations, however, the GTR 2 is a premium device from the up-and-coming smartwatch brand.Unlike the Bip U, this device has a circular display and has upgraded from a plastic design to a stainless steel body, giving it a more luxury feel. The AMOLED screen is bright and works well when outside.It has an always-on display, 3GB of onboard music storage, and a built-in microphone and speaker that allow you to take calls from your phone directly on your watch. However, you will still need your phone in range, as the watch doesnt support a cellular connection.The design is ideal for everyday use, but there are also a ton of fitness features too. For example, there is GPS for tracking your runs, 12 different sports tracking modes, and the blood oxygen monitor.Battery life is where this smartwatch excels over the others shared here with a claimed 14 days from the manufacturer, although it is closer to a week when using multiple features on the watch in our tests.As the watch does not have an always-on display, youll need to rely on the lift-to-wake action, although there is a slight delay of around 2 seconds for this to work.

FDA Approved: Fitbit Versa 3

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Pros/Cons: Pulse Oximeter approved by the FDA Industry-leading sleep score Alexa and Google Assistant built-in Some advanced reports require Fitbit Premium subscriptionFitbit is the only smartwatch manufacturer that currently has its pulse oximeter approved by the FDA (Source) This means that they have proven the accuracy of the device compared to other medical-grade pulse oximeters that would usually clip onto your finger when being used by a medical professional.Despite this approval that gives them a clear advantage over the competition, Fitbit still advises that their watches are intended for general wellness and discourage their use for managing any health conditions.Fitbit is known for its industry-leading sleep score, which takes lots of data sources to provide a score and suggestions to improve. It uses time awake/asleep, how much REM sleep you got, and your heart rate. Fitbit has not yet added blood oxygen levels to be a factor in this score.However, the watch will still track your blood oxygen levels while youre sleeping and display average and SpO2 ranges on your watch face when you wake up. This is important because significant fluctuations in your blood oxygen at night can be indicative of asthma or sleep apnea.Fitbit even has a dedicated SpO2 Signature clock face, this allows you to cycle through blood oxygen stats, among other vital measures easily.Aside from these key health and fitness features, the Versa 3 has many apps that will come in handy for everyday wearing. For example, it has both Alexa and Google Assistant for issuing voice commands, Fitbit Pay for contactless payments, and a limited selection of third-party apps such as Uber.

Budget: Amazfit BIP U

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Pros/Cons: Very affordable smartwatch 5-7 day battery life Detailed health and fitness tracking via Zepp app Cannot make contactless payments No GPS for tracking your running routesIf youre on a tight budget but still want to get a smartwatch with a blood oxygen monitor, youre in luck, thanks to the new Amazfit Bip U.This watch was crowned our favorite budget smartwatch because it packs in many features while still keeping a sub-$100 price tag. It excels at health and fitness tracking, in addition to the blood oxygen monitor, theres also a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and sports modes for tracking your workouts.Amazfit is known for having a great battery life in their products due to their lightweight proprietary operating system. Being at the budget end of their range, this one has a reduced battery capacity compared to the others in the range but still manages to last 7 days with light usage or 5 days with regular use.There are some drawbacks to the device, for example, there is no GPS for tracking your running routes, nor is there an NFC chip, so you cant make contactless payments with the device. But, if youre just looking for some great fitness tracking and your daily fitness goals presented neatly in an intuitive app, the Bip U is ideal.

Best for Fitness: Garmin Vivoactive 4

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Pros/Cons: The pulse oximeter can monitor blood oxygen through the night Training plans that adapt based on your performance Onboard music storage and NFCGarmins background in fitness trackers is evident from the features in their smartwatches. Their Vivoactive range sits nicely in-between fitness tracker and smartwatch with lots of handy features to monitor your health and fitness. Their latest flagship, the Vivoactive 4, also adds a pulse oximeter into the mix.The pulse oximeter was first introduced in the earlier Vivoactive 3, but Garmin has continued to improve upon the usability in the Vivoactive 4, it can now monitor your blood oxygen throughout the night too. The watch can then alert you if it detects large changes in your blood oxygen throughout the night, this is a symptom of sleep apnea, although the watch will not specifically tell you this as it does not have FDA approval.The pulse oximeter on the Vivoactive 4 will show your blood oxygen percentage alongside your current altitude, this is helpful for endurance exercise to see how your body reacts to the changing environment.The Vivoactive 4 gets my pick as the best fitness watch with a pulse oximeter, this is thanks to advanced fitness tracking, animated onscreen workouts, over 20 preloaded sports to track, and the Garmin Coach app. The latter is particularly great as it provides personalized training plans that dynamically adjust based on your performance as recorded by the watch.There is also a large selection of third-party apps you can install, most of which are fitness-related. Unlike the previous generation, the new Vivoactive 4 has onboard music storage so you can download tracks and listen to them tether-free during your workout.

Best for Outdoor Sports: Coros Vertix

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Pros/Cons: Tough watch suitable for extreme conditions Quick access to blood oxygen readings Great battery life of 60 hours with full GPS SpO2 recordings not saved in the app for tracking No music storageI mentioned in the introduction that bloody oxygen monitors are very useful for monitoring training at high altitudes. If thats your reason for purchasing a smartwatch with a blood oxygen monitor, then the Coros Vertix is an excellent pick.Coros will be a familiar brand to any elite runner or endurance athlete as their performance sports technology has played a role for many years.This watch is suitable for almost any environment you can think of. It has a Sapphire screen that makes it very scratch resistant, it has an operating temperature of -4F to 140F, and its 15ATM rated, which means you can use it up to 150m underwater.The watch runs its own proprietary operating system which is very much geared towards adventure sports tracking. This means it is missing some of the everyday features you might like from a smartwatch, such as music storage or NFC for contactless payments.As for the SpO2 monitor, this can be quickly accessed by long-pressing the lower right button. When youre at high altitudes, a gauge will appear to advise whether the reading is of concern or not.The downside to the SpO2 monitor is that its only a spot check, and the readings are not saved within the app as with other models here. This means you cannot look at your blood oxygen over time, which the watch would benefit from in the future.One final thing worth mentioning about this watch is the battery life which can last an incredible 45 days with regular usage or 60 hours with GPS on. If youre an outdoor fanatic, this is well worth investing in.

Tips to Get a Good Blood Oxygen Reading on Your Smartwatch

Here are some key tips to ensure you are getting blood oxygen reading on your smartwatch that is as accurate as possible:

• Rest your arm on a surface with your palm facing downwards while you take a reading.
• Make sure the watch is not loose on your wrist.
• Ensure the watch is sitting flat on your wrist and ensure your wrist bone isnt obstructing the pulse oximeter.
• If your hands are cold, youll get a better reading if you rub them together beforehand to get a bit of warmth. This is helpful if taking a reading at higher altitudes.
• If you have a tattoo on your wrist, try to ensure this is not directly under the pulse oximeter, as the saturation of the ink can make it difficult to get an accurate reading.