As concerns grow over whether recent accidents involved hypoxia, including the TBM900 crash on Friday, pilots might wonder about simple tools to help them detect when hypoxia is imminent or occurring. Though pressurized aircraft have alarms that warn when cabin altitude climbs too high, the ubiquitous mobile devices that most pilots carry can also pitch in to help. One example includes Masimo’s iSpO2, which has a fingertip sensor that plugs into an Apple iOS or Android device then reports blood oxygenation, pulse rate and perfusion index.

Meanwhile, the new Guardian Avionics FMS 650 installs in an aircraft and transmits engine data, flight information, carbon-monoxide levels and pressure altitude to the Pilot FMS iOS app. In addition, an altitude-warning function allows pilots to set alarms when the cabin altitude reaches 10,000, 12,500 or 14,000 feet.

Apple’s two new iPhone 6 models, unveiled on Tuesday, incorporate a barometer sensor, and this has generated keen interest among aviation app developers. “With the recent attention on hypoxia, we’re looking forward to finding ways we can be helpful there,” said ForeFlight co-founder Tyson Weihs. “We love to work with new technology so when we see a barometer on the new iPhones I get very interested,” added Hilton Goldstein, CEO of Hilton Software, the maker of WingX Pro7.