According to respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has scrapped plans to include a body temperature sensor to the Apple Watch Series 7, but the functionality might be added to the Apple Watch Series 8 instead.
On Twitter, Kuo explained that the body temperature feature was originally planned for the new Apple Watch Series 7 models, but it was scrapped when the body temperature algorithm developed by Apple failed to meet requirements prior to entering engineering validation testing (EVT) for the device last year, according to a series of tweets.
A body temperature sensor may be included in the next Apple Watch Series 8 if the “algorithm can achieve [Apple’s] rigors standards before mass production.”
Skin temperature fluctuates rapidly depending on the surroundings, and because a wristwatch cannot monitor core body temperature with hardware, the function is mainly reliant on an algorithm that gives correct results. Apple has reportedly run into issues with body temperature monitoring.
Samsung, according to Kuo, is also having problems measuring body temperature, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 may not include a body temperature tracking function because of algorithmic restrictions.
According to both Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, wearables in 2022 are expected to have temperature sensors, although talk of this feature has died down recently. A new report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today seems to cast doubt on whether or not this functionality will be included in the next Apple Watch Series 8.