How to measure ambient noise in apple watch with watch OS 6

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A brand-new Noise app for Apple Watch is the built-in decibel meter along with an automatic notification is one of the few interesting hearing health innovations in watch OS 6 which has the potential to help protect people from noise that can easily damage their hearing.

Unfortunately, hearing loss happens so gradually and over longer periods of time that you don’t even notice it until it’s too late. And we all know or should be aware of the fact that keeping your hearing in good condition is key to maintaining your independence as you grow older.

The Noise app uses the microphone in your watch to periodically measure noise levels throughout the day. You can also measure the noise level in real time, a life-saver when in loud environments that could easily negatively impact your hearing.

How to use the decibel meter on Apple Watch

By default, your Apple Watch will warn you when your average sound level over a period of three minutes reaches or exceeds 90 decibels. When that happens, you’ll feel a gentle buzz on your wrist and an alert will pop up on the Apple Watch display.

You can tap the notification to open the Noise app and see more details.

How to check noise level in real time

To check your noise level in real time, do the following:

1) Press the Digital Crown to get to the Home screen, then tap the Noise app icon to launch the app. You can also put the app in your Dock for quicker access or use Siri to open Noise.

2) As the noise level around you changes, the onscreen decibel meter moves dynamically, in real time. The Noise app rates the current noise level as either OK or Loud. To learn more about decimal ranges, scroll down and tap Learn More.

If you’re in a construction zone and the Noise app has warned you of potentially damaging noise levels, move somewhere else as soon as possible. The same goes if you’re at a sporting event, rock concert or some other venue that produces loud noises.

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How to use ECG on Apple Watch

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To take an ECG recording at any time or following an irregular rhythm notification, users open the new ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later and hold their finger on the Digital Crown.

As the user touches the Digital Crown, the circuit is completed and electrical signals across their heart are measured. 

After 30 seconds, the heart rhythm is classified as either AFib, sinus rhythm or inconclusive.

All recordings, their associated classifications and any noted symptoms are stored securely in the Health app on iPhone.

Users can then share a PDF of the results with their physicians.

With watchOS 6, the irregular rhythm notification feature will use the optical heart sensor to occasionally check the user’s heart rhythm in the background for signals of an irregular heart rhythm that appears to be Afib. If irregular heart rhythm such as Afib is identified on five rhythm checks over a minimum of 65 minutes, a notification will be generated to alert the user.

The ECG app’s ability to accurately classify an ECG recording into AFib and sinus rhythm was validated in a clinical trial of around 600 participants.

 The study found the ECG app on Apple Watch demonstrated 98.3 per cent sensitivity in classifying AFib and 99.6 per cent specificity in classifying sinus rhythm in classifiable recordings. The irregular rhythm notification feature was recently studied in the Apple Heart Study. With over 400,000 participants, the Apple Heart Study was the largest screening study on atrial fibrillation ever conducted.

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