The ECG function came to Apple Watch with the launch of the Series 4, more than 2 years ago, however, due to the fact that it has to overcome a series of procedures in each of the countries where Apple wants to offer this function, the adoption process it has been slower than Apple would have initially expected.
Over the past few weeks, this feature has been given the go-ahead in China and Australia. But with the release of watchOS 7.6, this feature is now available in 30 new countries, as we can see in the version details on Apple's website.
This new version of watchOS, in addition to the support for the ECG application, support for the irregular heart rate notification function. The new regions where the electrocardiogram function of the Apple Watch Series 4 onwards can already be used are:
- Andorra
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Islas Cook
- Cyprus
- Dominica
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Austral Territories Franceses
- Gibraltar
- Guadalupe
- Guernsey
- Haiti
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Monaco
- Montserrat
- Nauru
- Norfolk islands
- Seychelles
- Slovenia
- St. Barthelemy
- St. Helena
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Martin
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Ukraine
- Vatican City
How the ECG works
By tapping on the built-in heart rate sensor and the built-in heart rate app, the Irregular Heart Rate notification pings the user if their heart rate has been above or below the recommended rate while idle for 10 minutes.
Such oscillations for no apparent reason could be indicative of potentially dangerous heart rates and lead to more serious conditions, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib).
