Apple unveils menstrual tracking, hearing health features for iOS: 4 notes

Apple Watch and iPhone users will soon be able to monitor menstrual cycles and symptoms, hearing health and activity levels over time, Apple executives confirmed at the company's annual developers conference on June 3, CNBC reports.

Here are four things to know about the newest iOS updates:

1. The new "Cycle Tracking" app allows menstruating iPhone and Apple Watch users to log symptoms, receive notifications when their periods are about to begin and view a predicted fertility window.

2. The "Noise" app will use the Apple Watch microphone to measure decibel levels in a wearer's headphones and environment to warn them when the volume of their music or a nearby construction zone, for example, is loud enough to cause gradual hearing damage.

3. The Health apps on both the wearable and the phone will also be updated to include more detailed long-term activity tracking. Apple Watch users will be able to see how their activity levels have changed over time and will be urged to "get back on track" in the case of a noticeable decrease, while iPhone users will see a summary of historic health data such as how workouts impact their heart rate and how consistently they move.

4. User privacy is paramount: "Since there's nothing more private than your health information, you control your data," Kevin Lynch, Apple's vice president of technology, said. "You can decide whether you want to share your health data with selected apps if you’d like to share anything at all."

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