Study Finds Smartwatch BP Alerts May Miss Many With Hypertension

Research highlights limitations of Apple Watch hypertension feature, especially for older adults and minority groups.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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A new study led by researchers from the University of Utah and University of Pennsylvania examined the real-world impact of the Apple Watch Hypertension Notifications Feature, which uses the watch's optical sensors to detect blood flow patterns and alert users to possible hypertension. The analysis found that while the feature can be helpful, it has significant limitations, particularly for older adults and certain racial/ethnic groups who have higher baseline rates of undiagnosed hypertension.

Why it matters

High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease, yet many people are unaware they have it. The Apple Watch feature represents a step toward wearable-based population screening, but the new research suggests it could provide false reassurance or false alarms depending on the user's age and background, potentially discouraging some from seeking proper blood pressure screening.

The details

The study found that for younger adults under 30, receiving an alert increases the probability of having hypertension from 14% to 47%, while not receiving an alert lowers it to 10%. However, for adults 60 and older, an alert increases the probability from 45% to 81%, while the absence of an alert only lowers it to 34%. Similar disparities were seen across racial/ethnic groups, with an alert increasing the probability to 75% for non-Hispanic Black adults, but only 63% for Hispanic adults.

  • The Apple Watch Hypertension Notifications Feature was cleared by the FDA in September 2025.
  • The new analysis was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in February 2026.

The players

Adam Bress

Pharm.D., M.S., senior author and researcher at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah.

Apple

An American technology company that developed the Apple Watch Hypertension Notifications Feature.

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What they’re saying

“High blood pressure is what we call a silent killer. You can't feel it for the most part. You don't know you have it. It's asymptomatic, and it's the leading modifiable cause of heart disease.”

— Adam Bress, Researcher (Journal of the American Medical Association)

“If it helps get people engaged with the health care system to diagnose and treat hypertension using cuff-based measurement methods, that's a good thing.”

— Adam Bress, Researcher (Journal of the American Medical Association)

What’s next

The research team plans follow-up studies to estimate the actual numbers of U.S. adults who would receive false negatives and false positives from the Apple Watch feature, broken down by region, income, education, and other demographic factors.

The takeaway

While the Apple Watch hypertension feature represents a promising public health tool, it should supplement rather than replace standard blood pressure screening with validated cuff-based devices. The new research highlights the need for caution in relying solely on wearable technology, as it may provide false reassurance or false alarms depending on the user's age and background.