Apple Watch Now Alerts Australians to High Blood Pressure, Encouraging GP Visits
28 Jan 2026
The watch collects data from its heart sensor and monitors how blood vessels respond over 30 days. If it identifies possible signs of high blood pressure, users are prompted to record readings for a week with a standard blood pressure cuff and share the results with their GP.
Doctors say the alerts are a helpful way for people to start thinking about their heart health. Professor Garry Jennings from the Australian Heart Foundation said awareness of high blood pressure in Australia is “far too low,”
RACGP Vice President Dr Ramya Raman emphasised that a watch alert does not equal a diagnosis. “It’s a starting point,” she said. “If your watch flags your blood pressure, it’s a prompt to see your GP and get proper checks, including other heart risk factors and family history.”
Apple tested the feature on 2,000 people, finding it correctly identified 41% of those with high blood pressure and 95% of people with normal readings. The company predicts it could notify more than a million people worldwide who have undiagnosed hypertension within the first year.
Dr David Adam, GP and RACGP expert, said alerts could help uncover high blood pressure earlier, prompting GPs to investigate potential secondary causes like hyperaldosteronism and reduce cardiovascular risk.
The Apple Watch hypertension alert is expected to encourage more Australians to check in with their GP about heart health.
https://www1.racgp.org.au/
Source: newsGP / Australian Heart Foundation / RACGP