Apple plans to drop blood oxygen feature on smartwatches to get around import ban

• Apple is ready to nix a blood oxygen feature from its new Apple Watch models.
• Some of Apple's smartwatches have been the subject of a patent dispute with medtech company Masimo.

Apple has found a new workaround for the import ban on its latest Apple Watch models.

The company will remove blood oxygen functionality from its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 if its appeal of the import ban is unsuccessful, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported.

Medical device maker Masimo has claimed certain Apple Watch models infringe on its blood oxygen monitoring technology patents. In a Monday filing, which has not been made public, Masimo said US Customs and Border Protection "decided that Apple's redesign falls outside the scope" of the US International Trade Commission's import ban on the Series 9 and Ultra 2, per Bloomberg.

Masimo also reportedly said in the filing that Apple told US Customs and Border Protection that watches with the redesign "definitively do not contain pulse oximetry functionality."

"Apple's claim that its redesigned watch does not contain pulse oximetry is a positive step toward accountability," a Masimo spokesperson said in a statement.

Apple told Business Insider the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are still available with the blood oxygen tool. The company expects the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to rule as early as Tuesday on its motion for a stay for a full appeal period of likely at least a year.

The import ban on Apple's latest smartwatches initially took effect on December 26. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit temporarily paused it the next day, allowing Apple to resume sales of the watch models while it continues to fight the ban.