Apple is continuing its push into the health and wellness space with a number of significant new features in the upcoming iOS 15 update, that promise to help you better understand and manage your overall health.
Here are three great health-related features you’ll be able to take advantage of when iOS 15 releases to the general public this fall.
1. Health Sharing With Caregivers and Healthcare Providers
One of the new additions in iOS 15 is the ability for anyone to share their health and wellness data collected through the Health app. You can control what data to share and with whom.
With an eye on the privacy of this sensitive data, all of the information you share is encrypted when in transit and protected on your device with Face ID or Touch ID. At no time does Apple have access to the information when shared with others
The feature will be available in a new Sharing tab in the iOS 15 Health app. You can see whose Health data is being shared with you and who you are sharing with. When health information is being shared with you, the Health app will notify you of any trend changes in areas like heart rate data, mobility, and more. You can also quickly start a conversation with the other person regarding the trends using the Messages app and also share the data to discuss.
Related: Lesser-Known Apple Health Features Worth Using
Along with sharing important data with loved ones and family, anyone in the United States will be able to share information from the Health app—like heart rate, detected falls, hours of sleep, or exercise minutes—with their doctor.
Some healthcare organizations allow doctors to access the data directly in the electronic health records system for quicker access.
At any time, if you want to change sharing options with a loved one or doctor, you can just head to the Sharing tab to modify those permissions.
2. Adding Health Trends
Starting with iOS 15, your iPhone will analyze 20 types of data for Trends, including everything from resting heart rate to cardio fitness to respiratory rate. Those Trends can help you better understand your overall health and any changes—both positive and negative.
The Health app will work in the background, examining data and using on-device intelligence. And if there is a change you should know about, you can choose to receive notifications and see easy-to-understand information about what the trend is and how it might affect you.
You’ll also be able to keep track of goals, like an increase in running distance or mindful minutes. As a great plus, Trends can also work to monitor insulin delivery thanks to data from third-party devices using the app.
3. Walking Steadiness Helps Warn of Possible Fall Risks
According to research from the World Health Organization, falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury leading to death worldwide. Each year, more than 37.3 million falls are severe enough to require medical attention and oftentimes mark a decline in independence in seniors.
Usually, balance problems are only diagnosed after answering a detailed questionnaire and getting an in-person examination by a doctor.
But the new Walking Steadiness feature in iOS 15 allows anyone to take proactive action to help reduce their fall risk. The iPhone already captures data about your movement, like walking speed, the length of each step, and how often you have both feet on the ground. And with the new feature, your iPhone uses its built-in motion sensors to capture data like balance, stability, and coordination.
With that information, the Health app will show steadiness as OK, Low, or Very Low. You can receive a notification if your steadiness is Low or Very Low. In that case, you can also view curated exercises that can help increase strength and balance to take steps to prevent a fall.
Apple was able to craft the custom algorithms needed for this thanks to the Apple Heart and Movement Study and the more than 100,000 participants of all ages using both an iPhone and Apple Watch.
Other Health Improvements Coming to iOS 15 and watchOS 8
Apple is also bringing other, notable improvements, to its health and wellness lineup with iOS 15. These include:
- An improved ability to view health records. You will be able to view highlights of lab tests, pin results for easy access, and see whether the lab results are within range. Users in the United States can also view information to help make better sense of lab data and how it affects you. With more education about exactly what the lab results show, hopefully, you can make even more informed health decisions.
- The ability to store medical records of immunizations and test results in the Health app. If your vaccine provider or doctor doesn’t support the Health Records feature, you can download a vaccination record or test result from a browser or QR code to store within the Health app.
- A viewable timeline of your health history, showing lab results, immunizations, and medications, even if the data is from different health institutions.
- Improved the cycle tracking predictions with heart rate information.
- A pair of new health-related features in watchOS 8. The Apple Watch will be able to measure respiratory rate during sleep. You can see the information in the Health app and be notified of any trends. That builds on the built-in Sleep app introduced in watchOS 7. The Apple Watch will also feature a new Mindfulness app. Along with deep breathing sessions to help you stay calm, you can take advantage of Reflect sessions that will help you focus on positive thoughts.
A Safe and Secure Way to Manage Your Health
With Health Sharing, Trends, and Walking Steadiness, Apple continues to make the iPhone a great tool to manage and better understand your overall health and wellbeing.
And all of the health features were just a small part of Apple’s slate of announcements at WWDC, which focused on software improvements across the board for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.