You’ve seen the ads. You’ve probably seen the sleek, rugged titanium casing of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and thought, "This thing is basically a hospital on my wrist." It tracks your heart rate, your sleep, your blood oxygen, and even tells you if you’re ovulating based on wrist temperature. So, it’s a natural leap to assume that Apple Watch Ultra blood pressure monitoring is just a button press away.
It isn't.
Let’s be incredibly clear right out of the gate: as of early 2026, no version of the Apple Watch Ultra—not the original, not the Ultra 2, and not even the base Series watches—can actually measure your blood pressure directly from your wrist. If you see a third-party app in the App Store claiming it can measure your BP using just the camera or the screen? It’s lying to you. Don't buy it. Those apps are gimmicks that use heart rate variability to "estimate" things, but they are not medical-grade and certainly aren't what you’re looking for.
Why hasn't Apple solved the Apple Watch Ultra blood pressure puzzle yet?
Measuring blood pressure is hard. It’s physically demanding on a device.
Think about a standard cuff at the doctor’s office. It squeezes your arm until it cuts off blood flow, then slowly lets go while a sensor (or a human with a stethoscope) listens for the sound of your blood starting to pump again. That's called the oscillometric method. To do that on a watch, you need an inflatable band.
A company called Omron actually did this with their HeartGuide watch. It's bulky. It’s stiff. It feels like wearing a small blood pressure cuff on your wrist because, well, you are. Apple doesn’t want that. They want sleek. They want something that stays on your wrist while you’re scuba diving or running a marathon in the desert.
The tech Apple is reportedly working on—and this has been backed up by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman for years—is a bit different. Instead of giving you a systolic and diastolic number (like 120/80), the initial goal for the Apple Watch Ultra blood pressure feature is "trend monitoring." Basically, the watch would tell you if your pressure is trending upward or if you might be having a hypertensive episode, rather than giving you a precise medical reading.
🔗 Read more: Oculus Rift: Why the Headset That Started It All Still Matters in 2026
The engineering nightmare of your wrist
Your wrist is a terrible place to measure blood pressure. The arteries are smaller than the ones in your upper arm. Movement ruins the data. If you move your arm even an inch during a reading, the numbers go haywire.
Samsung actually has blood pressure monitoring on the Galaxy Watch 6 and 7 in certain regions, but there’s a massive catch: you have to calibrate it with a real, traditional cuff every four weeks. Apple hates this kind of user experience. They don't want to release a feature that requires you to go buy another piece of equipment just to make the first one work.
What experts say about wearable BP tech
Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s VP of Health, has often talked about how the company only releases features when they meet a high bar of clinical accuracy. It’s one thing to have a step counter that’s off by 10 steps. It’s another thing entirely to tell someone their blood pressure is fine when they are actually in a hypertensive crisis.
The liability is huge.
Recent studies published in journals like Nature and The Lancet have explored "cuffless" blood pressure monitoring using PPG sensors—those green lights on the back of your watch. These sensors measure Pulse Wave Analysis. Basically, they look at how fast blood travels from your heart to your extremities. Fast blood often equals high pressure. But it’s messy data. It changes based on your hydration, the temperature of the room, and even your stress levels.
How people are tracking blood pressure on Apple Watch Ultra right now
Since the Apple Watch Ultra blood pressure sensor doesn't exist yet, people are using workarounds. The most common way is through the Apple Health ecosystem.
💡 You might also like: New Update for iPhone Emojis Explained: Why the Pickle and Meteor are Just the Start
You buy a Bluetooth-enabled cuff. Withings and Omron make the best ones. You wrap the cuff around your arm, take the measurement, and the data syncs via Bluetooth to your iPhone. From there, it shows up on your Apple Watch Ultra in the Health app. It's not "on-device" monitoring, but it’s the only way to get accurate data into your Apple ecosystem right now.
- Withings BPM Connect: This is probably the gold standard for Apple users. It syncs instantly.
- Omron Evolv: No wires, no hoses. It just works.
- QardioArm: Super portable and fits in a bag easily.
The rumors: When is it actually coming?
If you’re waiting for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or a future "Ultra 4," here is the reality. Rumors suggested 2024, then 2025. Now, most analysts are looking toward late 2025 or 2026 for a version of the watch that can at least detect hypertension.
The first iteration likely won't give you numbers.
Imagine getting a notification that says: "Your blood pressure seems higher than usual. You should take a rest or consult a doctor." That is the most likely "first step" for Apple. It’s safer for them legally, and it’s easier to execute technically than a full-on digital sphygmomanometer.
Does the current hardware have "hidden" sensors?
No. There is a common conspiracy theory that the Ultra already has the hardware and Apple just hasn't "turned it on" yet. This isn't true. While Apple did have a "hidden" temperature sensor in the HomePod mini for a while, the sensors required for BP are vastly different from the heart rate and SpO2 sensors currently on the Ultra 2. You need specific transducers to measure the force of blood against the vessel walls.
Actionable steps for your heart health today
Stop waiting for a software update to save your life. If you are concerned about your blood pressure, there are things you can do right now with the gear you already own.
📖 Related: New DeWalt 20V Tools: What Most People Get Wrong
1. Use the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) feature.
While not blood pressure, your HRV is a massive indicator of your autonomic nervous system's state. If your HRV on your Ultra is tanking, it's a sign your body is under stress—which often correlates with higher blood pressure.
2. Buy a validated cuff. Don't get a cheap knock-off from a random site. Go to the Validate BP website. It’s a list of devices that have been independently vetted for accuracy. Pick one that syncs with Apple Health.
3. Setup "Health Sharing."
If you have a parent or a partner also using the Apple ecosystem, set up Health Sharing in the Health app. If they record a high blood pressure reading on their external cuff, you’ll get a notification. It’s a literal lifesaver.
4. Watch the "Vitals" app.
If you’re on the latest watchOS, the Vitals app is your best friend. It establishes a baseline for your body while you sleep. If your wrist temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate are all "out of range," your blood pressure is likely elevated too. It’s about looking at the whole picture instead of just one missing number.
The Apple Watch Ultra blood pressure feature is the "Holy Grail" of wearables. Everyone wants it. Every manufacturer is trying to build it. But for now, the Ultra is a world-class fitness tracker and a decent heart monitor—it’s just not a doctor. Use the tools that work today, and keep an eye on the Apple Keynotes for tomorrow.