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Apple Watch 6 features leaked: Sleep tracking, pulse oximeter, and mental health

Published May 1st, 2020 7:31AM EDT
Apple Watch 6 Rumors
Image: JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

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  • A new leak says the Apple Watch 6 will incorporate several new health-tracking features, including sleep, mental health, and blood oxygenation.
  • The leak is in line with previous rumors that detailed the Apple Watch 6’s new specs and features in recent months.
  • However, it’s unclear where the information comes from, as the leaker didn’t offer any details beyond a list of features.
  • Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is several months away, as Apple’s new wearable will likely e unveiled in mid-September alongside the new iPhone 12 series. Nevertheless, we’ve seen a bunch of Apple Watch 6 rumors so far, and the latest leak is very much in line with them. According to a YouTuber who’s also an app developer, the new Watch will come with several new features, including sleep tracking, a pulse oximeter, and features that can detect mental health “abnormalities.” That’s on top of a new S6 chipset and longer battery life.

YouTuber Nikias Molina posted the following message on Twitter, where he listed all these purported Apple Watch 6 features without disclosing the origin of the leak:

Jon Prosser, known for his very accurate iPhone SE leaks, validated the leaks with a simple “Yep!” Prosser has addressed some of Apple Watch 6 features in the recent past on a podcast, and they were mentioned by other known leakers.

Sleep tracking is a feature that has been rumored for the Apple Watch in the past few years. Various alternatives exist, but it makes sense to assume that Apple will want to have its own solution built into the Watch, to complement all the other health monitoring features that are available on the device.

The pulse oximeter feature first appeared in a leak in March, and we’ve already explained how useful the function might be for people who will be infected with the novel coronavirus and experience a severe COVID-19 case. A pulse oximeter will alert the wearer on the performance of his or her lungs, and it’s the kind of features that could save lives. In COVID-19 cases, it will tell users when the blood oxygen saturation falls below a certain level, and they might call 911 much faster.

A few weeks ago, a leak from Max Weinbach and EverythingApplePro said the Apple Watch will be able to detect panic attacks and stress. These features could help with mental stress problems and have been addressed by Prosser as well.

Previous leaks also noted that the new Apple Watch will offer better battery life and a next-gen processor. Also, the wearable will support Wi-Fi 6 and improved water resistance, features that Molina doesn’t mention.

If all this comes true, the Apple Watch 6 will be an even better health monitoring tool to have on your wrist all day long.

That said, Molina hasn’t explained where he obtained his information from, and this is just another leak from a source that doesn’t have a track record.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.