Apple today received FCC approval for a nondescript "sleep monitor" in the United States. While much of the application is hidden due to a standard confidentiality agreement, one document reveals that the sleep monitor is "designed by Beddit in California" and has an all-new model number 3.5.
Simply put, this could end up being an all-new Beddit 3.5 sleep monitor that Apple will eventually release, but no further details are available. It could also be a modified version of the existing Beddit 3 sleep monitor.
Apple acquired Beddit, a company that develops health-related hardware, in May 2017 and continues to sell the Beddit 3 sleep monitor for $149.95 on its online store. The thin, flexible sensor is placed under the sheet on top of the mattress and automatically begins tracking sleep-related data when you lie down.
The data collected and analyzed includes sleep time and efficiency, heart rate, respiration, temperature, movement, snoring, room temperature, and room humidity. The data can be viewed in the Beddit app on iPhone and iPad.
Beddit technology is based upon a scientific principle known as ballistocardiography or BCG, described as an unobtrusive, non-invasive technique for measuring the mechanical activity of the heart, lungs, and other body functions:
Each time the heart beats, the acceleration of blood through the circulatory system generates a mechanical impulse that can be measured and analyzed. Throughout the night, Beddit tracks each individual heart beat and respiration cycle. Beddit's advanced analysis and machine learning algorithms adapt differently to each body type and provide detailed sleep data.
There has been hope that Apple's acquisition of Beddit could lay the foundation for first-party sleep monitoring on the Apple Watch, but this FCC application does not appear to be related to the Apple Watch.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker.
Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
At the very-real risk of going full "Get off my lawn", what exactly is the purpose of this? I know when I don't sleep well. I know when I snore. I know when I can't breathe. I know when I'm too hot.
Are you sure? :p
I don't necessarily disagree, but there are two useful features: detecting when is a good time to wake you up (in a "shallow" part of the sleep cycle) and detecting signs of sleep disorder that you may not be aware of.
At the very-real risk of going full "Get off my lawn", what exactly is the purpose of this? I know when I don't sleep well. I know when I snore. I know when I can't breathe. I know when I'm too hot.
This reminds me of the "Smart Cups" that connect to your phone to tell you how much water you have drank.
I'm open for any explanations or real use-cases members want to share. Not trying to be snarky :)
Forget the analysis data for a second. Let’s look at the real quality of sleep improvements that can be achieved with a device like this.
Waking up to an alarm is like a lottery. If it rings just as you’ve come out of a REM cycle, you’ll wake up feeling rested and will start the day off on the right foot. But,if the alarm wakes you while in the middle of a sleep cycle, while you’re in deep sleep, you’re going to wake up startled and will feel groggy while you stumble out of bed and go through your morning routine. The odds of the latter happening are much higher rhan your alarm waking you up at the perfect time.
What if your alarm could wake you up at the perfect time every single morning? A sleep analyzer like this can do exactly that. It knows when you’re exiting a REM cycle so it can delay or ring your alarm early by a few minutes to wake you at just the right time. That alone justifies this device. The analytics are a bonus that can help you to make adjustments in your sleep environment.
At the very-real risk of going full "Get off my lawn", what exactly is the purpose of this? I know when I don't sleep well. I know when I snore. I know when I can't breathe. I know when I'm too hot.
This reminds me of the "Smart Cups" that connect to your phone to tell you how much water you have drank.
I'm open for any explanations or real use-cases members want to share. Not trying to be snarky :)
Part of what I find appealing about these kinds of tools is the empirical nature enables me to check my subjective. So, for example, when I was getting an average of 6 hrs sleep for months after a newborn human child came to live with me, I got so used to sleep deprivation that I could honestly no longer remember what being fully rested was like. In my case, the baby's pediatrician told me that I was behaving like a sleep deprived person and I was actually surprised.
A tool that gives quantifiable feedback may help many people were in my boat but don't have a doctor to tell them that their subjective experience has actually been calibrated at sub-optimal levels, and then, depending on the ML/AI could essentially prescribe custom sleep adjustments, and then actually track whether those adjustments have hit target goals.
At the very-real risk of going full "Get off my lawn", what exactly is the purpose of this? I know when I don't sleep well. I know when I snore. I know when I can't breathe. I know when I'm too hot.
This reminds me of the "Smart Cups" that connect to your phone to tell you how much water you have drank.
I'm open for any explanations or real use-cases members want to share. Not trying to be snarky :)
The problem with with sleep disorders like Sleep Apnea is that they gradually increase in severity over time. I was aware of being tired most of the time, but didn’t know anything about sleep disorders and thought it was a temporary problem. Falling asleep briefly during my morning commute caused me to contact my doctor and a sleep study confirmed severe sleep apnea.
I’ve used the Beddit for two years and it provides far more sleep quality info than anything else. I’ve never needed a replacement, but I check it each night to make sure it hasn’t moved or the cable isn’t snagged. I highly recommend it.
I guess I could use the data from this device to prove to my wife that I sleep better when it's colder, but the odds of her agreeing to lower the thermostat are astronomical.
