Apple on June 7 announced a slew of new health features for its iPhone, Apple Watch and Health Records app, including the ability to share health information with loved ones or a provider.
Apple's iOS 15 software update, scheduled to come out this fall, will give users the ability to share their health data with people in their life, such as a family member or physician. Users also will have control over which data they share and with whom.
Apple also is adding new features to its Health Records app, giving users the choice to share certain types of health data like heart rate, detected falls, hours of sleep or exercise minutes with their physicians. At participating healthcare organizations, physicians can review the Apple Health app data that patients choose to share directly in the EHR system.
A new walking steadiness feature uses custom algorithms to assess a user's balance, stability and coordination through built-in-motion sensors on iPhone. Apple built the fall-risk metric using real-world data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, which included more than 100,000 participants across all ages.
The new software features will be available this fall as a free update for iPhone 6s and later, and the fall-risk feature will be available this fall for iPhone 8 and later devices.