NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Watch is now fulfilling its promise to let people take EKGs of their heart and notify them when they have an irregular heartbeat.
Apple announced the heart features in September, but didn't make them available until Thursday. The new features have been given clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are for U.S. customers only.
The watch can intermittently check the wearer's heart rhythm in the background and send a notification if it detects irregular heart rhythm. That can point to atrial fibrillation, a condition that can increase the risk of stroke and other complications.
When symptoms appear, users can also take an EKG, or electrocardiogram, and share that with doctors.
Apple is adding medical features to make the watch feel more useful to people.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
