• Home
  • Exams
    • Exams
    • Punjab Text Book Board
    • Oxford University Press
    • The Educators
    • Allied School System
  • E News
    • Educational News
    • Technology News
    • Other News
    • تعلیمی خبریں
    • ٹیکنالوجی خبریں
    • دیگر خبریں
  • STUDENTS
    • Message for students
    • Online Resources
    • Share an event
    • Become a Volunteer
    • Students Magazine
    • Student Ambasadors
    • Scholarships
  • PARENTS
    • Message For Parents
    • Online Resources
    • Submit articles
    • Scholarships
  • TEACHERS
    • Message for Teachers
    • Online Resources
    • Submit your articles
    • Scholarships
  • INSTITUTIONS
    • Message for Institutions
    • Directory of Educational Institutes
    • Academic Disciplines
  • ABOUT
    • Our Mission
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Feedback & Suggestions
    • Login
    • Help
  • Sign Up for Zahanat
Login Help
Sign Up for Zahanat

Apple Confirms Tattoos Can Affect Apple Watch’s Heart Rate Sensor Readings

May 4, 2015

 

Apple has updated its Apple Watch support documentation, confirming that the device may have issues when worn by users who have wrist tattoos. The changes were added following a series of reports from new Apple Watch owners who found that their tattoos seemed to interfere with the smartwatch’s ability to track their pulse or cause other problems. Apple now says that permanent and temporary changes to your skin, including the ink used in tattoos, can impact the heart rate sensor’s performance.

In addition, the document clarifies, the ink, pattern and saturation of the tattoo can block the light from the sensor, making it difficult for Apple Watch wearers to get reliable readings. That is to say, those with darker tattoos that cover more of the skin’s surface may have more issues than those with lighter tattoos that are smaller in size.

The paragraph on tattoos was added to a page detailing how the Apple Watch heart rate sensor works, in a section that explains what sorts of factors could affect the sensor’s performance and a wearer’s ability to get a good reading. The Internet Archive, which keeps historical copies of websites, shows that an earlier version of this same page didn’t include the note about tattoos, ahead of the Apple Watch’s launch in April.

That implies that Apple learned of the issues from user feedback, as Watch owners began to call in to report problems with their device. Some users even posted videos to YouTube demonstrating the problem first-hand, which were picked up by the media.

It’s not all that surprising that a wrist tattoo could impact the effectiveness of the Apple Watch’s light sensor. The sensor allows an Apple Watch owner to wear the device looser on the wrist – “snug but comfortable,” says Apple – and still get a good reading. Explains Apple:

Apple Watch uses green LED lights paired with light‑sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through your wrist at any given moment. When your heart beats, the blood flow in your wrist — and the green light absorption — is greater. Between beats, it’s less. By flashing its LED lights hundreds of times per second, Apple Watch can calculate the number of times the heart beats each minute — your heart rate.

This type of technology has been known to cause problems in the past. For example, a reddit user several months ago noted that they had a problem getting a good reading using the Fitbit HR heart monitor. (A CNet report from 2014 also found that some of the then-current heart rate monitors on the market could also be thrown off by skin pigmentation.)

Apple Watch’s sensor is actually more advanced than the company has claimed, according to the teardown from iFixit posted in late April. The site said that Apple’s heart rate monitor is “actually a plethysmograph—it looks and acts like a pulse oximeter, but Apple isn’t claiming it can measure your blood oxygen level,” iFixit’s analysis noted. It suggested also that Apple wasn’t advertising the functionality due to FDA regulations.

Despite having this better sensor, it doesn’t solve the problems associated with inks on the skin blocking readings.

Apple recommends a workaround for those who experience these sorts of issues, saying that you can connect your Apple Watch wirelessly to external heart rate monitors, like Bluetooth chest straps. Of course, that’s not quite as elegant a solution as simply wearing a watch, but at least it will give more serious athletes and other quantified self enthusiasts an alternative means of gathering this data.

Source: Daily Mail

Main sidebar

  • High-tech military goggles combine night vision, thermal imaging
    May 14, 2015
  • Google Play now lets you preregister for upcoming apps and games
    May 14, 2015
  • Apple’s Next Big Thing: Your DNA?
    May 11, 2015
  • Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions
    May 11, 2015
  • Mini launches prototype of glasses that give ‘X-ray vision’
    May 11, 2015

Follow Zahanat

Like us on Facebook Zahanat.Official



Our Channel at VimeoZahanat



Our Channel at dailymotionZahanat




Zahanat.com

Zahanat.com is a self sustained project; a free online resource for Pakistan’s academic communities. It covers widely used curricula in Pakistan from class I to XII. We also provide career guidance, exam preparation, health & social well being tips to students. We do not receive any grants from any one nor do we follow any third party agenda. We value what is good for our students and country more than any gain or profit.

Get Involved

Zahanat.com provides a platform to socialize and engage in healthy extracurricular activities for students, parents and teachers
Students: Click to learn more
Parents: Click to learn more
Teachers: Click to learn more
Our aim is to engage individuals from all academic background and field of life.
Visit our FAQ Section to learn more about how can can participate.

Legal Policies

Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Copyright Policy
Anti-Spam Policy
Linking Policy
Legal Disclaimer
These policies and disclaimers apply only to the Zahanat.com. Therefore, once you link to another site, you are subject to the policies of the new site.
Beta Disclaimer
This is the Beta launch, you may experience few shortcomings or technical issues. Team Zahanat!

Parents Account

Zahanat.com offers a 21st century parenting guide for better parenting by sharing knowledge of experts with you, parents can also create a free account at zahanat.com and can become part of progressive parents community.
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions Section to learn more about how to create parent account and related benefits.

Teachers Account

Zahanat.com has created a platform for the Teachers, where they can find various useful academic articles and online resources to polish their teaching skills. Teachers can create free account and opt to be part of National Teachers Directory.
Visit our FAQ Section to learn more about how to create account and related benefits.

SMS Verification

To ensure the safe and approved online interactivity of student at zahanat.com, we have developed & implemented the SMS Verification System, under this system, students are asked to Enter their parents / guardian Mobile Number, our system sends the account approval & verification code to the provided number to get authorization for account creation.
copyright 2015 Zahanat.com