Apple has confirmed that it will introduce its long-awaited ECG functionality “as quickly as possible” in Canada, following rollouts in the U.S., Hong Kong, and many European countries.
Speaking to The Canadian Press, the company confirmed that it was working on a rollout of the technology on Apple Watch Series 4 devices in Canada as soon as it could, but did not confirm a release date, seemingly because one has yet to be confirmed.
Earlier this month, Health Canada approved the ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications on Apple Watch Series 4 devices, which cleared the way for the features to be officially introduced in the country.
Unlike with most features on the Apple Watch, introducing ECG functionality means that Apple must first seek approval from each government or health body before it can offer medical information to consumers.
Now that the technology has been signed off by Canadian officials, the release is imminent.
Apple’s ECG app was first released in the United States in December of last year and has since expanded into 19 European countries and Hong Kong in March of this year.
Last week, Apple pushed out watchOS 5.2.1, which saw the functionality arrive in Croatia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Poland, and Slovakia, too, further increasing the reach of the ECG technology.
Designed to allow Apple Watch users to place a finger on their Digital Crown to take an ECG reading, the feature can be used to identify major health problems such as atrial fibrillation.
Irregular heart rhythm notifications are a separate addition, alerting users to unusual heart rhythms so they can seek medical attention, reducing the chances of heart attack fatalities.
Whilst Apple didn’t offer any timelines on when its ECG feature will arrive in Canada, the company is currently beta testing watchOS 5.3, whilst watchOS 6 is expected to be unveiled at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which takes place next week.
Are you excited to see Apple Watch’s ECG feature arrive in Canada? Are you already using the technology in another country? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter: @AppleMagazine.