Cardio Fitness Notifications

When Apple announced watchOS 7 and the new Apple Watch models back in September it noted that it had been able to make some dramatic improvements in the accuracy and range of VO2 Max level measurements that it’s able to capture, thanks to a series of software-level improvements in the algorithms used to analyze the sensor data.

At that same time, Apple also indicated that it would be putting the new measuring capabilities to even better use by providing notifications when VO2 Max drops to dangerous levels during a workout, which could suggest the possibility of a serious medical condition, however this was billed as one of these “coming soon” features.

Now it looks like its time has come in the form of new cardio fitness notifications. A reference in the iOS 14.3 Health app notes that “Apple Watch can notify you if your cardio fitness reaches a level where you may experience limitations in your daily activity.”

The feature will naturally require not only iOS 14.3, but also watchOS 7.2, the first beta of which was also released yesterday.