A new Apple-branded sleep monitor has cleared the Federal Communications Commission, according to an agency report spotted by VentureBeat.
Here are five things to know about the device:
1. The FCC's report, which shows that the sleep monitor has passed Bluetooth emissions testing, suggests Apple will begin to offer sleep-tracking capabilities beyond those available in the Apple Watch.
2. Apple's sleep monitor will likely build on its May 2017 acquisition of Beddit, a Finnish company that developed sleep-tracking accessories. As part of its FCC clearance, Apple offered a rendering of a mandatory label, which includes the phrase "Designed by Beddit in California." Apple also cited the device's model number as 3.5, suggesting an incremental update to Beddit's sleep monitor 3.
3. To use Beddit's most recent monitor, a user would place the monitor under a bed sheet. The monitor would use Bluetooth to wirelessly share health data — such as information related to sleep, heart rate, breathing and snoring — with an app on the user's phone. The monitor costs $150.
4. Apple has shut down Beddit's cloud service, cutting off new users in September and existing users in November, according to VentureBeat. Users can still use Beddit's sleep monitors to receive sleep scores each morning based on their data, but the information is stored locally, rather than being synced to a cloud server.
5. It's unclear whether Apple will rebrand Beddit's sleep monitor or integrate it with its other health services, such as the iPhone's Health app. However, it's noteworthy that Apple is releasing another version of the sleep monitor. Apple often acquires small companies and brings their personnel into existing projects, rather than continuing to build out their capabilities, according to VentureBeat.