A report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reveals that the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 will come with a body temperature sensor. This means that it will be able to tell if you have a fever, but the sensor could also be used as a fertility tracker.
“You can expect some new health-tracking features in this year’s Apple Watch. In April, I reported that Apple has been aiming to add body-temperature detection to its Series 8 model, assuming the capability passes muster during internal testing. I now believe the feature is a go for both the standard Apple Watch Series 8 and a new rugged edition that’s aimed at extreme sports athletes,” wrote Gurman.
The sensor won’t be able to give you a specific reading—like with a temperature gun. But it should be able to tell if it believes you have a fever. It will then recommend that you talk to your doctor.
Additionally, there are reports that the body temperature sensor could also be used for fertility tracking. Shifts in body temperature could help someone determine when they’re more likely to get pregnant, or predict when they’re going to get their period.
This added feature might sound like it could help with period cycles and fertility tracking, but the recent Supreme Court ruling change in the United States made fertility tracking apps absolutely terrifying to keep. In the wake of Roe v. Wade, individual U.S. states to are allowed to criminalise abortion, so having your fertility data given to an app that might not keep the information private could be dangerous.
But fertility and period cycle apps are usually only useful if the person updates the app on a regular basis. People might not want their Apple Watch to know when they could possibly be pregnant—for their own safety.
As for other additions to the Apple Watch Series 8, Gurman says that the other hardware changes “will probably be minor”. However, there’s been “internal chatter of updated displays” in the new high-end models.
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