Apple Faces Lawsuit Alleging ‘Racial Bias’ in Blood Oxygen Feature of the Apple Watch

Given its size, Apple is no stranger to lawsuits, and the company is now facing a legal complaint that alleges racial bias in some of its key health-related features offered with the Apple Watch. 

In the Southern District of New York, a class action lawsuit has been filed alleging racial bias in the blood oximeter function on Apple’s smartwatches. The plaintiff, Alex Morales, claims that the watch in question did not accurately measure blood oxygen levels for individuals with darker skin tones, despite being advertised as able to do so without regard to skin tone.

Morales stated that he “expected the product would not incorporate biases and defects of pulse oximetry with respect to persons of darker skin tone” and “as a result of the false and misleading representations, the Product is sold at a premium price, approximately no less than $400, excluding tax and sales.”

Apple had introduced the Blood Oxygen feature with the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020, with it being able to “measure the oxygen level of your blood on-demand directly from your wrist,” according to Apple.

As per a report by The New York Post, the lawsuit also alleges that during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers used patients’ records to confirm the clinical significance of racial bias in pulse oximetry, and that for “for decades, there have been reports that such devices were significantly less accurate in measuring blood oxygen levels based on skin color.”

The New York Post reports that Apple has not yet issued a comment on the lawsuit. However, the company notes on its website that the Blood Oxygen app is “only designed for general fitness and wellness purposes.”

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