Smartwatches are getting smarter and Apple just unlocked a vital health feature for Aussies

Apple has finally unlocked access to an important function of some of its smartwatches, as more new features are added to the wearable gadgets.

Aussies are increasingly looking to their wrists to unlock the secrets to good health as the smarts inside smartwatches continue to grow.

While many wearable gadgets added new features like oxygen measurements and stress management just last year, Apple this week unlocked another health-tracking feature inside its popular smartwatch, making it possible for wearers to investigate their heart rhythms.

New and upcoming smartwatches from Suunto, Fitbit and Huawei promise to measure everything from a wearer’s peak aerobic performance to how lethargic they feel.

Experts say the devices could even be used to flag influenza and COVID-19 infections in future, though they warn wearable gadgets are still best used as a guide or alert to visit a qualified medical practitioner.

Apple finally unlocked access to the electrocardiogram function of some Apple Watches to Australians this week after receiving approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration earlier this year.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro features a two-week battery life and metal form. Picture: Supplied

The feature, available following a software update, sees the Watch capture the wearer’s heart rhythm over 30 seconds and examine it for signs of atrial fibrillation, a form of irregular rhythm.

The company says its measurement, using lights on the rear of the watch, performs a measurement “similar to a single-lead ECG,” though it also warns that the feature cannot detect a heart attack or other heart-related conditions.

The ECG feature comes in addition to blood oxygen monitoring that debuted in the newest Apple Watch, alongside existing health measurements for sleep, exercise and pulse-tracking.

Other headline health features in new and upcoming smartwatches will include stress and body resource tracking, detailed sleep monitoring, and V02 Max estimates, which is a measure of the wearer’s fitness.

University of Sydney Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis said smartwatches and fitness trackers had evolved rapidly over the past nine years, adding many health-tracking features that could be insightful to users and researchers alike.

Dr Stamatakis is currently leading the Australian arm of the DETECT study from Scripps Research, Fitbit and Stanford Medicine to determine whether health data from smartwatches can provide an early warning for influenza-like illnesses, including COVID-19.

Fitbit's new Luxe fitness tracker features a slim profile, button-free design, and will launch in Australia in late May 2021. Picture: Supplied

Early findings from the US research showed the data could be used to identify a coronavirus infection in people who reported symptoms with “roughly 80 per cent prediction accuracy”.

But while these devices could deliver useful health information, Dr Stamatakis said they were still best used by consumers as a guide to “help them lead healthier lifestyles”.

“These devices measure many different things but their accuracy is often unknown,” he warned. “They can monitor on an ongoing basis so many different aspects of life and physiology — how much people sleep, sit, how much people move, their heart rate — but the physiological measurements in particular have to be handled with care.”

Similarly, Heart Foundation risk reduction manager Natalie Raffoul said the launch of ECG features in smartwatches was an “exciting development“ that could help raise awareness of cardiac health but doctors were always better placed to answer medical queries.

“It’s important to note that findings from these devices with ECG capability should always be interpreted and discussed with a medical professional in the context of a person’s overall health,” she said.

TOP SMARTWATCHES

Apple Watch Series 6 (from $599): Australian Apple Watch users, including those with the latest model, can finally unlock more of its features. After a software update, this Watch can measure wearers’ heart rhythms in an electrocardiogram, in addition to tracking their heart rate, checking their blood oxygen level, recording sleep data, reminding them to stand each hour, and recording precise fitness statistics for everything from dance to hiking. An Apple Watch will also unlock three months of free access to the company’s Fitness+ service.

Suunto Baro 9 Titanium ($799): The newest version of Suunto’s top sportswatch adds a titanium rim, a tougher strap, a slimmer body and serious software upgrades that make the watch more useful. Those extras include the debut of sleep-tracking, a fascinating new feature called “body resources” that shows how much energy you have left in your tank, and turn-by-turn navigation from Komoot. The powerful exercise buddy will also track more than 80 styles of exercise, will track your location for up to 170 hours, an comes in blue or black.

Fitbit Luxe ($200): The latest Fitbit is designed to look like a bracelet while surreptitiously compiling your health stats. In an understated design the company calls “fashion-forward,” the Fitbit features the slimmest body yet for one of its touchscreen devices, no external buttons, and three colour choices that can be paired with bracelet or mesh-style bands. The device itself tracks the wearer’s heart rate, stress level, sleep stages, and exercise, is water resistant and will last for up to five days on a single charge.

Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro ($499): Huawei’s smartwatches might have fallen from out of favour but the company’s new smartwatch could win back an audience. The Watch GT 2 Pro comes with a bright, AMOLED screen, titanium case, easy-to-navigate menus, and plenty of sports-tracking features. There are more than 100 sports mode programmed into this watch, including specialist tracking for golf and skiing, and it’s capable of capturing the wearer’s heart and respiratory details. Perhaps most surprising is its battery life, however, that can last for up to two weeks.