Apple resumes Apple Watch sales after ban is paused

You can once again buy the latest Apple Watches straight from Apple. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be available again in some physical Apple stores starting today, with wider availability expected by Saturday. Online sales will resume tomorrow by 3PM ET, Apple spokesperson Nikki Rothberg told The Verge.

The restarting of sales comes hours after a federal appeals court paused a sales and import ban that covered both devices. Apple was banned from selling both products in the US after the US International Trade Commission found that the company had violated patents from the medical device maker Masimo.

The appeals court said that Apple could continue selling its watches temporarily, while the company waited to hear back on whether proposed changes to its watches would avoid the patent issues. US Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to rule on the changes on January 12th. Failing that, the court is considering whether to put the ban on hold until it can rule on the patent dispute, which could potentially delay the ban for months longer.

“Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal,” Rothberg said in an emailed statement.

Apple pulled sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 from its online and physical stores ahead of the ban going into effect on December 26th. The ban covers devices that include a blood oxygen saturation sensor. Apple has included one on flagship watches since late 2020, with the Series 6. Only the lower-priced Apple Watch SE doesn’t include one and has been able to remain on sale.

Third-party retailers were allowed to continue selling through their stock of Apple Watches while the ban was in place, though the import ban would have eventually prevented them from acquiring more units.