Apple Watch irregular heartbeat detection features debut in 19 markets including UK, Hong Kong

Inspired by stories such as that of Hongkonger whose Apple Watch detected his unusual heartbeat and saved his life, Apple adds new features to smartwatch

An app for Apple Watch 4 can perform an electrocardiograph, while an irregular heart rhythm detector is being made available for all Watch models

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Ben Sin receives the results of the results of the EKG taken via his Apple Watch 4 on his iPhone. Apple launches its EKG app in Hong Kong on Thursday, the first Asian market to have it, and another feature to detect irregular heart rhythms. Photo: Ben Sin

Published: 6:00am, 28 Mar 2019Updated: 3:11pm, 28 Mar 2019

In April 2018 a Hong Kong man named Gaston D’Aquino was going about his day when his Apple Watch buzzed, notifying him of an unusually high heartbeat. Though the 76-year-old felt fine, he went to a hospital, where doctors hooked him up to an electrocardiograph machine that confirmed his gadget’s finding.

After further tests, doctors told D’Aquino that two of his heart’s three main coronary arteries were completely blocked. He underwent successful open-heart surgery and has since made a full recovery.

According to Apple representatives, it is stories like D’Aquino’s that inspired the US tech giant to improve the Apple Watch’s heart tracking, and today Hong Kong is the first city in Asia to receive the electrocardiogram and irregular heart rhythm features that US consumers got last December.

In addition to Hong Kong, these features also launch today in 18 other markets, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

A user taking an EKG by placing her finger on the crown of the Apple Watch Series 4. The test takes about 30 seconds.

The electrocardiogram feature, otherwise known as EKG, is exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 4 due to the additional hardware sensor required to detect electrodes. The second feature, which detects irregular heart rhythms, is available for all Apple Watch models. It is essentially an improved version of the function that saved D’Aquino’s life, since tracking heart rhythm provides more data than just measuring heartbeat.

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