Apple reportedly succeeded in convincing a US district court to dismiss a lawsuit filed in 2021 by health technology company Alivecor, which alleged the technology giant monopolised heart rate analysis apps for smartwatches.  

Reuters reported a judge rejected the anti-competition case filed by the start-up, which claims to have met Apple executives in 2015 to demonstrate heart rate monitoring technology it had developed.

Among its complaints, Alivecor argued Apple had given it the impression the pair would enter into a partnership, however no deal materialised. It then accused the iPhone maker of plagiarising elements of the technology as it moved to launch similar technology for its smartwatch range. It also claimed Apple tweaked the heart rate algorithms to prevent competitors from offering such technologies.

The reasoning behind the court’s decision remains confidential but a redacted version of the filing is expected to be made public in the coming weeks. 

In a statement seen by Reuters, Apple stated the decision confirmed the company is not anticompetitive and such allegations challenged its ability “to make improvements to the Apple Watch that consumers and developers rely on”. 

The health app on Apple’s smartwatch is designed to monitor heart rate and detect irregular heartbeat, helping identify potential health problems. 

Alivecor is planning to appeal the decision. The company is litigating separate patent claims against Apple.

Mobile World Live requested comment and is awaiting response from the companies.

In January, Apple was forced to remove a blood oxygen measurement technology on its Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 after losing to a patent infringement lawsuit filed by medical devices company Masimo.