One of the most nerve-wracking parts of trying to conceive or figuring out if you’re sick is tracking your body temperature. The next Apple Watch might help with this annoying, repetitive, and emotionally laborious task.
According to a mix of rumours and leaky industry analysts, Apple has been working hard on tuning the algorithms in its next smartwatch specifically for handling body temperature monitoring. The tip comes from trusted industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who tweeted out that if the algorithms fit the bill, the feature could come standard on the next generation of Apple’s wearable, the Apple Watch Series 8. This follows a Bloomberg report from last year that said Apple was “aimed to put a body temperature sensor” monitor in the Series 7 and that it was more likely to show up in this year’s model.
Body temperature monitoring, in particular, has been a complex feature for wearable makers to figure out. “The challenge in implementing precise body temperature measurement is that skin temperature quickly varies depending on outside environments,” tweeted Kuo. It’s why Apple and its major rival on the Android side of things, Samsung, still don’t have the ability built into their respective smartwatches.
It might sound like a niche feature, but body temperature monitoring has long been considered one of the traditional ways of tracking fertility, something couples trying for a kid would certainly love to be able to do with more ease. That’s because one way to check for ovulation is to reference incremental temperature changes. But manually logging them while also handling all the other work involved with having a child could add to your emotional load, not to mention throw off consistent tracking. Why not have your smartwatch manage all that passively in the background?
Body temperature tracking is also helpful in diagnosing illnesses, something most of our readers have probably gotten very familiar with over the past few years.
Other wearable companies have attempted to launch devices to help with fertility tracking. But nothing beats a mainstream smartwatch, especially the (only, to be fair) one you can buy as part of Apple’s (walled garden) ecosystem. Though other wearables work with the iPhone — the Oura Ring, for instance, which also offers body temperature monitoring — it’s so much easier springing for the one device that does it all.
The Apple Watch SE, which purports to be “heavy on features” and “light on price,” is also looking at a potential refresh. The Apple Watch SE 2 could join the Series 8 in a big-time reveal at this fall’s expected Apple event. Bloomberg kicked off the initial speculation last year when it reported that Apple was considering launching an Apple Watch tuned toward its rugged users. The casing on the Apple Watch SE 2 could be stronger and more resistant to the elements, the site claims.
We’ll know what Apple has in store if and when it makes its announcements later this year. The good news is it sounds like more body monitoring is coming to smartwatches soon, meaning more aggregating of valuable health data. If Google finally launches its Pixel Watch, this will be the year wearables get interesting again.