Apple sued over ‘racial bias’ of Apple Watch blood oxygen reader

Lawsuit alleges Apple Watch’s algorithms designed for fingertip sensing are ‘inappropriate’

Apple has been slapped with a class-action lawsuit filed in New York which alleges that the blood oxygen reader in the Apple Watch provides inaccurate results for people of colour.

The lawsuit, filed on Saturday on behalf of a group of New York residents and Apple users, alleges the pulse oximeter technology that measures blood oxygen levels is “significantly less accurate in measuring blood oxygen levels based on skin colour”.

It is based on studies conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic that confirmed the clinical significance of “racial bias” of pulse oximetry.