Since its debut, the Apple Watch has evolved from an iPhone companion into a more multi-functional device, becoming a cornerstone of personal health and wellness. Over the years, Apple has refined its design, integrated smarter software, added health-focused features, effectively transforming modern wearable technology.
With the unveiling of the Apple Watch Series 10 last September 2024, we saw the thinnest profile released and significant improvements in wide-angle OLED display tech. The 4-core Neural Engine supports even more various intelligent features from gesture recognition, natural language processing for Siri and dictation, to more context-aware functions like workout and fall detection.
Before the Apple Watch
Before the launch of Apple watch in 2015, the smartwatch industry was still at its nascent stage. One of the most notable products of this period is the Pebble Watch, launched in 2012 through a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that raised $4.7 million in its first week. By offering core features such as notifications, messaging, and basic app support, Pebble captured mainstream attention and helped define early expectations for smartwatches.
Around the same time, large tech companies also ventured into the smartwatch industry. In 2013, Samsung released its Galaxy Gear lineup, which drew attention but was criticized for its bulky design and limited battery life. Sony also released several SmartWatch models, but struggled to gain traction due to weak app ecosystems and narrow functionality.
In this article, we’ll look at the evolution of Apple Watch through its patents, tracing its transformation from being an iPhone companion to a health and fitness device.
Apple Watch series evolution
Apple debuted the original Apple Watch at their September 2014 keynote event, and later launched it on April 24, 2015. The first-generation model, later called Series 0, featured a square touchscreen, customizable watch faces, and basic fitness tracking. Though relatively slow compared to later models, Series 0 laid the foundation for Apple’s wearable ecosystem.
Apple Watch Series 1
Building on this foundation, Apple introduced the Series 1 model in September 2016 with improved performance and updated features of the original Apple Watch. This model is water resistant with an IPX7 rating, suitable for swimming workouts but not for full submersion.
In one of their patents, Apple describes a method for making devices more water-resistant by adding a hydrophobic coating to the PCB and its electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield, and by using silicone seals around the connectors to block moisture from reaching soldered portions of the electrical connectors. U.S. Patent No. 9,161,434, titled “Methods for shielding electronic components from moisture” lists Nicholas Merz, Scott Myers, Gregory Stephens, and Joseph Poole as inventors.
Series 1 also included a heart rate sensor, which lets users track their heart rate anytime, including during workouts. While Apple has over 200 patent families on Photoplethysmography (PPG), we’ll take a closer look at U.S. Patent No. 10,092,197 titled “Reflective surfaces for PPG signal detection.” This patent lists Chin San Han as the inventor.
The ‘197 patent covers the use of PPG signals to measure the heart rate via skin contact. This patent improves on existing technology by adding reflective surfaces around, under, or near the apertures of the optical components (light source and detector). These surfaces bounce light back into the skin, increasing the amount of usable light captured and boosting signal strength. According to the patent, “the measured PPG signal strength can be higher and more accurate compared to the same PPG device without reflective surfaces.”
Another patent on this technology area is U.S. Patent No. 9,867,575, titled “Heart rate path optimizer.” The device described improves heart rate measurement accuracy in pulse oximeters by reducing motion-related noise in PPG signals. This patent lists Ehsan Maani, Daniel Culbert, and Ian Shapiro as inventors.
Another Series 1 feature is the inclusion of motion sensors, with an accelerometer to count steps and a gyroscope to track rotation. The raise-to-wake gesture, which is described in U.S. Patent No. 10,101,793, lets the watch screen turn on when you lift your wrist, making it easier to check the time, notifications, and fitness data during workouts. This patent lists Xiaoyuan Tu, Anil Kandangath, and Adam Howell as inventors.
Series 2: Beginnings of a fitness companion
The Apple Watch Series 2 was released alongside Series 1, marking the first time Apple introduced GPS tracking into the device.
It’s interesting to see the many ways Apple explored integrating additional elements into the device without crowding the central unit, and thus keeping the design compact. U.S. Patent No. 8,787,006, details how this “additional circuitry” can be integrated into the wristband itself. The patent describes how an accelerometer, an antenna, a GPS receiver or a haptic device can be embedded in the band portion of the watch. In the patent, the central portion can be a standalone device, which gains additional features when attached to the wristband.
Integration of elements such a s GPS trackers offered major advantages to Apple Watch users, enabling them to track runs and outdoor activities without needing an iPhone nearby. The patent titled “Wrist-worn electronic device and methods therefor,” lists Albert Golko, Mathias Schmidt, and Felix Alvarez as inventors.
The integration of these features marked the beginning of the smartwatch as a true fitness companion, capable of supporting workouts and active lifestyles of many users.
Series 3: Connectivity upgrades
Although early versions of the Apple Watch were well-received, their reliance on iPhones made them less convenient and prevented them from functioning independently. Without an iPhone nearby, users couldn’t send messages, make calls, or use many third-party apps. This was addressed with the release of Apple Watch Series 3,marking the inclusion of cellular connectivity in the device.
U.S. Patent No. 11,196,148, “Electronic device antennas,” details the inclusion of cellular connectivity to the watch. An important problem to tackle here is improving wireless performance across different bands without the addition of bulky antenna structures. In the patent, the device integrates multiple antennas into the structure. The front face of the device uses a stack of layered components such as the display, touch sensor, and NFC to form a high-frequency antenna. The rear face antenna uses a power receiving coil as an RF antenna. A peripheral antenna along the edges of the device is used to handle wireless local area network signals.
The inventors listed in the patent include Rex Ehman, Jayesh Nath, Carlo Di Nallo, et al.
Series 4: Improved heart rate sensors
Series 4 was released a year later in September 2018, featuring an improved heart rate sensor using ECG, along with the new fall detection feature. Unlike the Series 1 sensor which optimizes heart rate using blood flow, the improved sensor uses electrical signals to monitor heart activity.
In U.S. Patent No. 11,432,766, “Wearable electronic device with electrodes for sensing biological parameters,” electrodes are placed on the crown, housing, display or optical components to capture electrical signals from the user’s body. The signals can be processed to generate biological readings, including ECGs, directly on the watch. The inventors listed in the patent include Sameer Pandya, Adam Clavelle, Erik De Jong, et al.
We also see Apple’s fall detection technologies in U.S. Patent No. 10,629,048. This describes the use of motion sensors to detect if a user has fallen. It analyzes impact along movement patterns before and after an event (pose angle, fall duration, etc.), allowing the device to distinguish a fall from normal activities like walking or climbing stairs.The device sends an emergency alert if the user remains immobile and unresponsive after a certain amount of time.
The inventors listed in this patent, titled “Detecting falls using a mobile device,” are Xing Tan, Huayu Ding, Parisa Hossein Zadeh, et al.
Series 5: Always-On
The “always-on” feature first appeared in the Apple Watch Series 5 in 2019. This feature is useful because it keeps information visible without the need for user interaction. This however creates a problem: static elements on the screen can cause pixel wear, leading to burn-in risk. “Burn-in” effects may lead to “ghost images” on the display.
U.S. Patent No. 10,983,482, addresses this problem by applying constraints, such as limiting how long elements stay in one area, adjusting brightness and colors, or slightly shifting and resizing elements like indices (“…the radial positions of the indices may be shifted slightly over time”). The inventors are Tae-Wook Koh, Yiqiang Nie, Yifan Zhang, et al.
Series 6: Health and performance focus
The Apple Watch Series 6 introduced blood oxygen monitoring as the new health feature in Apple smartwatches. U.S. Patent No. 11,350,860 describes an optical system that uses light to measure blood oxygen levels from the wrist. This patent lists Earl Wong as the inventor. U.S. Patent No. 11,331,016 then improves accuracy by filtering out poor readings even with motion. The inventors listed are Saeed Mohammadi, Albert Cerussi, and Paul D. Mannheimer.
Series 7 to 9: Larger displays, dual temperature sensors, improved performance
While Series 7 did not introduce new health sensors, it focused on usability and durability. It featured a larger, more advanced always-on Retina display with thinner borders, offering nearly 20% more screen area than Series 6.
Series 8 expanded Apple’s health-tracking capabilities by adding a dual temperature sensor for more accurate body temperature monitoring. This feature is supported by U.S. Patent No. 11,635,334, which introduces a heat-flux sensor that measures temperature through direct skin contact. The inventors include Helia Rahmani, Anthony Minervini, Wanfeng Huang, et al.
To further refine temperature tracking, the device in U.S. Patent No. 12,123,784 describes the use of multiple sensors to adjust for external environmental conditions. The sensors combined with a processor “weigh” signals differently depending on where the sensors are located and what environment the device is in. By combining these signals with adjustment factors, the processor can estimate the true external temperature more accurately, supporting features such as cycle tracking and broader health insights. The patent titled “Temperature sensing systems and methods for an electronic device” lists William Libeer, Chunwei Yu, Judith Segura, Mei Li, and Xiangfei Yu as inventors.
Similar to Series 7, Series 9 did not introduce new health sensors but focused on enhancing performance and sustainability. It features the new S9 chip with a faster Neural Engine, enabling the new double-tap gesture, which lets users control the watch by tapping their fingers together. Apple also made Series 9 its first carbon-neutral product by using recycled materials and cleaner energy in production.
However, a legal dispute with Masimo over blood oxygen patents led Apple to disable the SpO₂ feature in the U.S. for a time. Apple initially disabled it in the U.S. due to an import ban but later restored it by redesigning the feature to offload data processing to the paired iPhone.
In a related case, Apple won a symbolic jury verdict against Masimo for infringing its smartwatch design patents, receiving the statutory minimum of $250 in damages, highlighting the intensity of the dispute despite the modest financial award.
Series 10: The latest Apple Watch
Building on the performance and usability upgrades of Series 9, the Apple Watch Series 10, released in September 2024, introduced several new health and safety features supported by recent patent filings. One major addition is a crash detection system. One of the approaches to this is described in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2024/0075895. Vinay Majjigi, Sriram Venkateswaran, Aniket Aranake, et al. are listed as inventors.
The device automatically detects car crashes using data from multiple sensors, such as accelerometers, microphones, and pressure sensors. Machine learning analyze these signals ( (sudden deceleration, airbag deployment from pressure data, loud impact sounds from audio data, and post-crash signatures) to confirm crashes while also reducing false alarms.
Another notable upgrade is the depth and temperature sensing feature, which allows users to track water temperature and depth covered during underwater activities. As described in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2024/0085185, this feature combines pressure and thermal measurements to provide accurate readings below the surface. The inventors listed are Stephen Jackson, Ti-Yen Lan, and Yi Wen Liao.
Series 10 also introduced enhanced sleep tracking features. This feature monitors breathing patterns, movement, and other sleep-related signals to detect irregularities that may indicate conditions such as sleep apnea. We see one of the approaches to this in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2023/0389861. The patent application listed Nicholas Felton, Kenneth B. Merryman, Catherine S. Thomas, and Stephane G. Thomas as inventors.
Together, these innovations position the Apple Watch Series 10 as a more advanced health and safety companion, continuing Apple’s push toward proactive wellness monitoring and emergency responsiveness.
Apple Watch: U.S. Patenting Activity
Apple’s U.S. patenting activity for watches has remained stable and competitive over the years. It was particularly strong from 2015 to 2018, as the company rapidly secured protections for innovations that defined the first generation of its smartwatches. However, filings dropped significantly in 2019, coinciding with the release of the Series 5 model, which featured only incremental updates compared to Series 4.
Since then, filings have continued to fluctuate as Apple shifted its focus toward enhancing the watch’s capabilities in health, fitness, and connectivity. By 2023, many of Apple’s patents were still pending, suggesting the development of new technologies that may appear in future models.
Apple Watch: Top Law Firms
Apple’s U.S. patent filings on Apple Watch models are managed by a broad network of law firms, reflecting a strategy that leverages diverse legal expertise. Majority of the patents are represented by Dentons, followed by DLA Piper and Brownstein, which handled a notable share of filings.
Other significant contributors include Morgan Lewis and BakerHostetler, whose IP practices cover a broad range of industries from technology to life sciences. Treyz Law Group, KHMRG (Kowert, Hood, Munyon, Rankin & Goetzel), Kilpatrick, and Dickinson Wright are also prominent representatives of Apple’s Apple watch patents.
Apple Watch: Top Technology Areas
Apple’s Apple Watch patents show a strong focus on digital data processing (G06F), the core technology that drives its smart features. This is supported by advances in speech and audio processing (G10L), which enable not only voice commands and clear sound but also efficient audio streaming, speech recognition, and advanced language features.
Patents in electronic timekeeping (G04G) highlight its precision as a watch, while those in telephonic communication (H04M) and wireless networks (H04W) position it as a seamlessly connected communication hub. Health-focused patents in medical diagnosis and identification (A61B) further strengthen its role as a leading wearable for fitness and wellness tracking.
The future of Apple Watch
Looking ahead, the Apple Watch is expected to expand further as a health and wellness device, with ongoing research into non-invasive glucose monitoring and blood pressure tracking. New models may also include more sensors and use AI to give personalized health tips. Based on Apple’s patents, the watch is moving beyond fitness to become a daily health companion that can help manage wellness and even detect possible health issues early.
