Apple iPhone, Watch set to focus on 17 health areas in 200 countries: From heart health to sleep - What to expect

Apple iPhone, Watch: The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has announced that iPhone and watch will offer features that focus on 17 areas of health and fitness , from heart health to sleep, women's health, mobility and more with the help of iOS 16 and watchOS 9 this fall.  Apple users can now store over 150 different types of health data from Apple Watch, iPhone, and connected third-party apps and devices. They can also choose to share certain types of this health data with loved ones. These features, available in nearly 200 countries and territories, provide users with high-quality data gathered throughout the day and night, said the company.

As pandemic show us the importance of being fit and healthy, Apple is creating devices and services packed with "science-based technology" that equips people with even more information and acts as an intelligent guardian for their health, "so they are no longer passengers on their own health journey", Jeff Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Apple was quoted as saying by IANS. 

"We believe passionately that technology can play a role in improving health outcomes and encouraging people to live a healthier day," Williams said in a recent Apple Health report. According to IANS report, Apple said that its application programming interfaces (APIs) are enabling third-party developers to create new solutions that promote healthy lifestyles and innovation in health.

"There are now tens of thousands of apps on the App Store that use our HealthKit API, so they can incorporate data users choose to share from the Health app to offer innovative health and fitness experiences, with rigorous privacy and data security protocols," as per the report.

With users' permission, these apps can also contribute data back to the Health app. Apple recently collaborated with Stanford University in the US to build the Apple Heart Study, which was a first of its kind in the medical community and the largest virtual cardiac clinical study during its time.

According to the report, health organisations and insurance companies around the world have collaborated with Apple to integrate Apple Watch in their wellness programmes to promote healthier behaviours and improve individual health at a large scale.