Apple says it wants to be “intelligent guardian” for health in new report
Apple has released a new report detailing how the health features on its iPhone and Apple Watch have “empowered” users to live healthier lives.
Eight years after adding health features to its premium devices, Apple has lifted the lid on its strategy for digital health for the first time.
The tech giant says that it wants to continue creating “science-based” tech that acts as an “intelligence guardian” for people’s health and that it will also collaborate closely with the medical community to this end.
Apple’s health ecosystem now stores 150 different forms of health data covering categories including sleep, activity, heart health, mobility and mindfulness.
All of this data is stored in one place that is both easy to access on iPhones and is private and secure.
Apple also says that its Apple Watch plays an active role in warning users about health conditions such as heart irregularities while advising them to take action towards better health.
The second part of the report reveals how Apple is working with Stanford University School of Medicine and other institutions to improve the health ecosystem.
This will see new tools being built to support new scientific discoveries and data shared with patients’ consent to help doctors monitor health patterns.
Apple is also regularly releasing new developer tools to help third-party developers create health and fitness apps.
Chief operating officer Jeff Williams said that Apple will “passionately” pursue its efforts to advance healthcare in the future.
He concluded: “We want people to be firmly in the driver’s seat with meaningful, actionable insights.”