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Hypertension tracking is now live on the Apple Watch — here’s what to do if you get an alert

Nick Harris-Fry

18 September 2025

Apple’s new health tracking feature is up and running

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(Image credit: Future)

Hypertension alerts are now available on the Apple Watch and if you have a compatible model and update your device with watchOS 26 you can turn them on right now. Apple has also revealed more details about how hypertension tracking works, and what to do if you get an alert.

The alerts are the most innovative new health tracking feature announced at the launch of the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, but you don’t need the latest models to get them.
Hypertension alerts use the existing sensors on the Apple Watch so if you have an Apple Watch Series 9 or Series 10, or an Apple Watch Ultra 2, you can turn on the feature right now.

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How to enable hypertension alerts

(Image credit: Future)
Along with needing a compatible watch, you need to be a compatible human to enable hypertension tracking. You need to be over 22-years-old, not pregnant, and not have been diagnosed with hypertension. You also need an iPhone 11 or later and have wrist detection turned on with your watch.

If you tick all the boxes you can set up hypertension tracking in the Health app, either by going to the heart section or clicking on your profile and finding the health checklist. Your watch will then start looking for signs of hypertension, and if it detects patterns related to hypertension over a 30-day period you’ll get an alert.
The Apple Watch is not a blood pressure monitor and isn’t providing a continuous reading, but instead uses the data from the optical heart sensor to sense how your blood vessels are responding to your heartbeats, and uses an algorithm to determine if there are signs of hypertension.
What to do if you get a hypertension alert

(Image credit: Apple)
No alerts will be sent for the first 30 days while your watch gathers data, but if you do get a notification after that period Apple has suggested the steps you need to take.

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You’ll be prompted by the watch to start a log of your blood pressure, which you’ll need to measure using a third-party blood pressure cuff. Apple recommends taking measurements for seven days and logging them in the Health app, then taking your readings to a health professional to discuss them.
Hypertension is often symptomless so the alerts could well come as a surprise to lots of people — Apple estimates it will send one million alerts to people with undiagnosed hypertension in the first year. It’s definitely worth investigating further if you do get a notification, but also note that the watch won’t detect every case of hypertension.
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Nick Harris-Fry

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Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

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