Quick answer
Some can flag it, but none can diagnose it. Two watch features are authorized to alert adults to possible moderate to severe sleep apnea: Apple Watch Sleep Apnea Notifications and the Samsung Galaxy Watch sleep apnea feature. Both features are licensed by Health Canada as Class II medical devices and available here on supported watches. They miss some cases, though: Apple’s feature detected about two-thirds of people with moderate to severe sleep apnea in testing. An alert means you should get a proper sleep test. No alert does not mean you are in the clear if you have symptoms.
At a glance
Key takeaways
Watches screen; a sleep test diagnoses.
Apple uses movement to spot breathing disturbances; Samsung mainly uses blood oxygen, plus movement.
Most rings and fitness trackers offer wellness scores, not authorized sleep apnea screening.
Snoring, pauses in breathing and daytime sleepiness matter more than whether a watch alerts you.
Which devices can flag sleep apnea?
| Device | Sleep apnea feature | How it works | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch (Series 9 or later, Ultra 2 or later, SE 3) | Sleep Apnea Notifications, adults 18+ without a diagnosis | Wrist movement (“breathing disturbances”) reviewed over 30 days | FDA cleared (Sept 2024); Health Canada Class II licence 111871 (Sept 2024); available in Canada since Oct 2024 |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch (supported models) | Sleep apnea feature, adults 22+ | Blood oxygen and movement over two nights | FDA authorized (Feb 2024); Health Canada Class II licence 111872 (Sept 2024); available in Canada since Jan 2025 through the Samsung Health Monitor app |
| Samsung Galaxy Ring | No licensed sleep apnea feature | General sleep, heart-rate, blood-oxygen and temperature tracking | No Health Canada sleep apnea licence found |
| Google Pixel Watch / Fitbit | No authorized sleep apnea feature | Wellness sleep and breathing metrics | Not a sleep apnea screening tool |
| Oura Ring | No authorized sleep apnea feature | Wellness breathing and oxygen metrics | Not a sleep apnea screening tool |
| Withings under-mattress sensors | US prescription model cleared for sleep apnea | Sensor under the mattress | US clearance applies to the Sleep Rx model; no Health Canada licence found for sleep apnea detection |
Health Canada licences: Health Canada has issued active Class II medical device licences for Apple’s Sleep Apnea Notification Feature (licence 111871) and Samsung’s Sleep Apnea Feature (licence 111872). These licences apply to the companies’ software-based notification features on supported watches, not to every Apple or Samsung wearable or to consumer sleep tracking generally. We could not verify a separate Health Canada sleep apnea licence for the Samsung Galaxy Ring. The licensed features look for signs that may be associated with moderate to severe sleep apnea; they do not provide a diagnosis or replace a clinical sleep study.
What a watch actually measures
A diagnostic sleep test records breathing effort, airflow or its proxies, blood oxygen and heart rate, and a sleep physician interprets the results. A watch estimates some of these indirectly from your wrist:
- Apple’s feature uses the accelerometer to detect small movements linked to disrupted breathing.
- Samsung’s uses the optical sensor to estimate blood oxygen.
Neither produces an AHI or can tell obstructive from central sleep apnea. Learn more about AHI and sleep study results.
How accurate are they?
- Apple. In Apple’s validation study of about 1,500 people, the feature correctly flagged 66% of people with moderate to severe sleep apnea: 89% of severe cases, but only 43% of moderate cases. False alarms were rare: 98.5% of people without moderate to severe sleep apnea did not get an alert, and everyone it flagged in the study had at least mild sleep apnea.
- Samsung. The feature detected 83% of people with moderate to severe sleep apnea, and 88% of people without it were correctly not flagged.
- Neither feature is designed to detect mild sleep apnea.
- Wrist blood-oxygen readings. These can be affected by fit, movement, cold hands and skin tone. In 2025 the US FDA proposed stricter skin-tone testing for medical pulse oximeters. Most smartwatch oxygen features are not covered by it.
If your watch alerts you
Book a sleep assessment or a home sleep test. Bring your watch data if you like; it can be useful background, but it doesn’t replace testing. Our home sleep test records 7 nights and is interpreted by a sleep physician.
If your watch says nothing but you have symptoms
Loud snoring, gasping or choking at night, pauses in breathing seen by a partner, morning headaches and daytime sleepiness are all reasons to get tested, whatever your watch says. Try our sleep apnea quiz or read about sleep apnea symptoms.
Sleep scores, deep sleep and “orthosomnia”
- Consumer trackers are good at telling when you are asleep, but poor at detecting when you are awake. Their sleep-stage estimates agree only fairly to moderately with lab recordings.
- Some people become anxious about chasing a perfect sleep score, which can make sleep worse. Researchers call this “orthosomnia” (Baron et al., 2017).
- In a 2023 trial, people with insomnia who wore trackers and had a clinician help them interpret the data improved modestly more than people given sleep-hygiene advice alone.
If you are sleeping poorly, see our insomnia guide.
Sources
- US FDA. 510(k) K240929, Apple Sleep Apnea Notification Feature (2024). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf24/K240929.pdf
- Apple. Sleep Apnea Notifications on Apple Watch (validation paper, Sept 2024). https://www.apple.com/health/pdf/sleep-apnea/Sleep_Apnea_Notifications_on_Apple_Watch_September_2024.pdf
- Apple Canada newsroom. Sleep apnea notifications available today on Apple Watch (Oct 2024). https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2024/10/sleep-apnea-notifications-available-today-on-apple-watch/
- US FDA. De Novo DEN230041, Samsung Sleep Apnea Feature (2024). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf23/DEN230041.pdf
- Samsung Canada newsroom (Jan 2025). https://news.samsung.com/ca/samsung-releases-innovative-sleep-technology-with-galaxy-ring-expansion-and-samsung-health-app-update-for-wearables
- Health Canada. Medical Devices Active Licence Listing (MDALL): licences 111871 (Apple Inc.) and 111872 (Samsung Electronics). https://health-products.canada.ca/mdall-limh/
- US FDA. 510(k) K231667, Withings Sleep Rx (2024). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf23/K231667.pdf
- Schyvens AM, et al. SLEEP Advances. 2025;6(2):zpaf021. https://academic.oup.com/sleepadvances/article/6/2/zpaf021/8090472
- Baron KG, et al. Orthosomnia: are some patients taking the quantified self too far? J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):351-354. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6472
- Spina MA, et al. SLEEP. 2023;46(9):zsad167. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/46/9/zsad167/7193149
- US FDA. Pulse oximeters (draft guidance on performance across skin tones, Jan 2025). https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/products-and-medical-procedures/pulse-oximeters
Disclaimer
This page is general health information, not medical advice, and it does not replace an assessment by a qualified health professional. Virtual Sleep Care does not currently serve Quebec, Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.