Apple's recently won patent application marks a major step forward for Apple in health tracking with built-in blood pressure monitoring.

The patent, filed in 2015, uses a pressure sensor to obtain tonometric (tension) readings from the user's wrist to read blood pressure. It is similar to the tonopen used by ophthalmologists to check intraocular pressure.

The patent also states that the readings from the pressure sensor are adjusted using one or more "correction factors" such as "wrist circumference, target artery depth, and/or tissue density or hydration."

Images found by Patently Apple show how this technology works.

The patent application shows sensors on the band itself, with actuators, ultrasonic transducers, and "multiple sensors" under the wrist.

This is a major win for Apple, and the company continues to dominate the smartwatch field. The Cupertino-based company currently holds the largest share of the smartwatch market at 36.3%. Thanks to increased competition from Huawei and Samsung, that has actually decreased by 13% since 2019.

Apple is not the first company to pursue blood pressure monitoring on a watch. Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3 features blood pressure monitoring that needs to be calibrated with an actual blood pressure monitor. However, this feature is not in use in the U.S. because FDA approval was not granted.

According to a demo by YouTuber TechProz, the Galaxy Watch 3 is relatively accurate, but he recommends using it only as a reference and not taking medication based solely on its readings.

If the Apple Watch Series 7 includes blood pressure monitoring, together with blood oxygen monitoring in the Series 6, the upcoming device will be a significant improvement over its Android Wear counterpart. And while Google has largely abandoned Android Wear--the company has removed weight training tracking and released YouTube Music on the Apple Watch over Wear--it will continue to dominate Apple.

Keep in mind that companies file patents all the time. And just because Apple has been awarded a particular patent does not necessarily mean that it will be released to the public quickly. Apple may still face other testing and regulatory hurdles before such technology can be lined up at the local Best Buy.