Report: watchOS 7.2 will check for AFib at higher heart rates than before

ECG results on Apple Watch Series 4 (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

New code found in watchOS 7.2 suggests the update will check for AFib at higher heart rates than previous releases.
That could allow the feature to be more accurate and alert users even while exercising.

Apple's upcoming watchOS 7.2 and iOS 14.3 updates will allow Apple Watch wearers to be notified of the potential for Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) when their heart is beating at a higher rate than previous releases could monitor. That's according to a new report by MacRumors.

Based on code discovered in the updates and a new "version 2 algorithm" spotted in developer documentation, the report believes that users will be notified of AFib even when exercising.

Based on beta code uncovered by MacRumors, it's likely that the new algorithm will allow the ECG app to check for atrial fibrillation (AFib) at higher heart rates - during exercise, for example.

AFib alerts are triggered when Apple Watch detects an abnormal heart rhythm and it's been proven to save lives in the past. Some have suggested that the watch was only able to record AFib at lower heart rates, however, making it less effective than it could be. That will hopefully be rectified as of watchOS 7.2 – an update likely to arrive within days.

You can learn more about the Apple Watch's ability to check for AFib and more in our guide.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.