Home > News

The Vitals app on your Apple Watch apparently knows when you’ll be sick before any symptoms kick in

Your Apple Watch will know when you'll get sick before you do
Last Updated on October 7, 2024
PC Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More
You can trust PC Guide: Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

Technology has come a long way, and with the advent of AI, progress has seemingly kicked into overdrive, with AI-powered PCs, cameras, and more making headlines. It seems like the line between reality and science fiction is getting blurry by the day as tools are also improving rapidly to help us in our daily lives and professional settings alike.

ChatGPT seems to be able to start a conversation with you first, and now it looks like the Vitals app on WatchOS 11 can predict when you’ll fall ill, even if you feel 100%. It’s worth mentioning that this app is also available on iPhone and iPad, but this specific instance relates to a report from an Apple Watch user.


Today's best pre Black Friday deal!

If you're in the market for a new gaming PC this November, then this high-end ZOTAC Gaming MEK Hero PC might be exactly what youre looking for - equipped with AMD's Ryzen 7 7700X and an RTX 4080 Super.

Prices correct as of November 13th, 2024.


Getting to know when you’ll get sick, a blessing or a curse? 

According to a recent post on the r/AppleWatch subreddit by u/dalethomas81, the Vitals app predicted that they would be sick three days prior to when they did. It showed that the vitals were abnormal on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and they woke up on Monday feeling under the weather.

The vitals were also displayed in the screenshot, and while the heart and respiratory rate were normal, the wrist temperature was recorded as higher than usual. This means that even tiny fluctuations from the baseline are monitored, those that we don’t pay attention to.

This convenient feature can help you better prepare for the future if you’ve got important meetings, trips, or plans with your family. However, this will only work if you record sleep data, and many other users also commented on how useful this feature is.


“I started using Vitals when it first came out on the beta and since then I’ve gotten sick about twice. Both times it knew a couple days in advance and I hadn’t felt anything wrong. Kinda insane how useful this feature can be”

u/RCG21

This isn’t the first time this has happened though, as we’ve also spotted a thread from 3 months back detailing the very same thing. The user here claimed that “I had multiple outliers an hour or so before developing symptoms”.

However, there is always the other side of the coin, and perhaps it is better not to always know when you’ll get sick, as knowing a couple of days in advance can dampen whatever you have to do as you know you’re running against the clock and you will eventually fall ill. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but we certainly can’t deny the usefulness of this feature.

Apple Watch deals this Amazon Prime Day

Save $100 now!

Apple Watch Series 9 [GPS 45mm]

Apple Watch Series 9 [GPS 45mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band M/L. Fitness Tracker, ECG Apps, Always-On Retina Display, Water Resistant
Save 24% now!

Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) [GPS 40mm]

Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band S/M. Fitness & Sleep Tracker, Crash Detection, Heart Rate Monitor
Save $64 now!

Apple Watch Ultra 2 [GPS + Cellular 49mm]

Apple Watch Ultra 2 [GPS + Cellular 49mm] Smartwatch, Sport Watch with Black Titanium Case with Black Trail Loop – M/L. Fitness Tracker, Precision GPS, Action Button, Carbon Neutral

Ussamah works as a content writer and editor at BGFG. He is experienced in tech, hardware, gaming, and marketing.