Apple’s legal bill over the Apple Watch just got heavier. On October 5, 2026, U.S. District Judge James Selna ordered Apple to pay Masimo an extra $184 million in prejudgment interest on top of the $634 million a jury awarded last November. That takes the total to roughly $818 million, and the meter is still running because post-judgment interest keeps accruing until Apple actually pays.
If you wear an Apple Watch, the first question is probably whether this changes anything on your wrist. Short answer: no. But the ruling is a good excuse to untangle a dispute that has now run for years and shaped how Apple handles one of its best-known health features.
Short answer
Judge Selna added $184 million in prejudgment interest to Masimo’s $634 million verdict against Apple, for a total of about $818 million. He rejected Apple’s “windfall” argument but also refused Masimo’s request for a flat 7% rate, which would have meant about $243 million. Your Apple Watch features are not affected, and Apple can still appeal.
What the Judge Actually Decided
Prejudgment interest is money a court adds to make up for the time between when the harm started and when a verdict arrived. Masimo argued it had been deprived of royalties it should have received while Apple sold the infringing feature. Apple argued the extra interest would be a windfall. Selna disagreed with Apple, leaning on Supreme Court guidance that interest from the time royalties would have been received “merely serves to make the patent owner whole.”
It was not a clean sweep for Masimo, though. The company asked for a 7 percent rate, which would have pushed the interest to about $243 million. Selna instead used Masimo’s own borrowing costs, compounded annually from when the infringement began. That choice trimmed roughly $59 million off what Masimo wanted.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jury verdict | $634 million | November 2025, upheld by Selna in July 2026 |
| Prejudgment interest awarded | $184 million | Masimo’s borrowing rate, compounded annually |
| Total so far | About $818 million | Post-judgment interest still accrues |
| What Masimo asked for | About $243 million | A flat 7% rate, which the judge declined |
How the Bill Adds Up
The interest alone equals about 29 percent of the original verdict. Had the judge accepted Masimo’s 7 percent figure, it would have been closer to 38 percent. Here is the same math in picture form.
The Patent Behind the Verdict
The case centers on a Masimo pulse-oximetry patent. In November 2025 a jury found that Apple Watch features, including heart-rate notifications, infringed it. Reports describe the patent as U.S. No. 10,433,776 and note it expired in 2022, which means the money covers past sales rather than anything Apple is shipping today. Coverage differs slightly on exactly which feature the jury focused on, so treat the feature-level details with some caution until the court filings are public in full.
Apple tried to get the verdict thrown out or shrunk, and Selna upheld it in July. The interest ruling is the next step in that same fight, not a new case.
Do Not Mix This Up With the Import Ban
Masimo and Apple are fighting on two separate fronts, and headlines tend to blur them together. The $818 million figure is about money for past infringement. The import ban is about which watches Apple can bring into the country and which features they may include.
On the import side, the ITC barred imports of the affected Apple Watch models in October 2023, and Apple responded by disabling blood oxygen on newly sold watches. In August 2025 Apple brought a redesigned version back, one that works with data processed on the iPhone. A three-judge Federal Circuit panel affirmed the ITC’s original decision in March 2026, and Apple said it was evaluating all avenues for further review. Separately, an administrative law judge found Apple’s redesign does not infringe, though some details of what happened after that are still unclear in public reporting.
If you are curious how the current Apple Watch lineup handles health sensing today, our rundown of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 reviews covers what actually changed this year.
What It Means for Apple Watch Owners
- Your features: nothing is switched off by this ruling. It deals with money for past sales, not with current software.
- Prices: there is no sign this will move Apple Watch pricing. Apple’s watch business is large enough to absorb a payment of this size, and the record-low Prime Day pricing on the Series 12 shows how aggressively it still sells.
- Appeals: expect Apple to keep fighting. The total can change if a higher court reduces or overturns any part of the verdict.
- Heart-health tools: if irregular rhythm and heart-rate alerts matter to you, compare what each brand offers in our guide to the best smartwatches with ECG.
What we could not confirm
This summary relies on press coverage of the ruling, and outlets differ on which feature the jury focused on. We could not verify Apple’s official statement or whether it has filed a notice of appeal on the interest award. We will not guess at either.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Apple owe Masimo now?
About $818 million: the $634 million jury verdict plus $184 million in prejudgment interest. Post-judgment interest continues to add to that until it is paid.
Will my Apple Watch lose any features?
No. This ruling covers damages for past sales. The separate import ban dispute is what affected blood oxygen on some models.
Why did the judge not use Masimo’s 7 percent rate?
Selna chose to apply Masimo’s own borrowing rate, compounded annually, as a better measure of what the delayed royalties cost the company. That produced $184 million instead of about $243 million.
Can Apple still appeal?
Yes. Apple has already challenged the verdict once and lost, but further appeals are a normal next step in a case of this size.
The Bottom Line
For Apple, $818 million is a rounding error against a company that sells tens of millions of watches, but it is still a very public loss on one of its signature products. For everyone else, the practical takeaway is simple: nothing on your wrist changes today. The real story is the slow grind between two companies that both believe they are right, with the next chapter likely to play out in an appeals court.
Sources and further reading
- MacRumors: Apple’s $634 Million Apple Watch Patent Bill Just Got Even Bigger
- Bloomberg Law: Apple Owes $184 Million in Interest on $634 Million Patent Loss
- MacTech: Apple must pay an additional US$184 million to Masimo
- Notebookcheck: Apple Watch Masimo patent dispute now costs Apple $818 million
About this article: GeekBlog covers U.S. technology news, AI, phones, smartwatches and gaming. Every story is written and checked under our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake or have a story tip? Contact our editors.
