Apple CEO Tim Cook has said before that the company’s greatest contribution to mankind will likely be health-related. And over the past decade, Apple has made impressive strides in new health and fitness features, partnerships with the medical community, and more. Now Apple has released a comprehensive guide on how Apple Watch, iPhone, and Apple Health are empowering people to live healthier lives and how it envisions the future of its most important work.

Just yesterday we heard a powerful story about a woman whose life was saved after her Apple Watch uncovered a hidden tumor. While we’ve seen many examples of how iPhone and Apple Watch have saved lives in amazing circumstances, the devices also improve many aspects of people’s everyday health and well-being – and that’s what this new guide from Apple aims to share.

Apple COO Jeff Williams opens the almost 60-page report titled “Empowering people to live a healthier day.”

Williams notes that Apple’s work in health has been mostly in two areas, personal health and fitness features found on devices like iPhone and Apple Watch and supporting the medical community.

“Apple is working to change how people think about, talk about, monitor, and focus on their health. We feel drawn to this work not only because of the opportunity to help advance human health but because we are driven by our principles to devote talent, resources, and expertise to where we can do the most good. We believe passionately that technology can play a role in improving health outcomes and encouraging people to live a healthier day.

This report offers a snapshot of our work to advance health. Since the beginning of our journey, the health innovations we’ve pioneered have aimed to help break down barriers between users and their own everyday health data, between health care providers and patients, and between researchers and study participants.”

In closing out the introduction, Williams highlights that Apple’s health efforts are its most important work and that its vision for the future is to offer tech that “acts as an intelligent guardian” for user health.

For the summary of the guide, Apple highlights key details:

“Our vision for the future is to continue to create science-based technology that equips people with even more information and acts as an intelligent guardian for their health, so they’re no longer passengers on their own health journey. Instead, we want people to be firmly in the driver’s seat with meaningful, actionable insights. Our priority has always been the trust of our users, and — in keeping with our belief that privacy is a funda- mental human right — every user should have the option to choose who they share their data with and what they share.

We intend to stay on this path, because nothing matters more.”

  • A growing group of health and fitness features on iPhone and Apple Watch offer actionable, science-based insights that break down barriers between users and their health information — all designed with privacy in mind.
  • iOS 16 and watchOS 9 will offer features that focus on 17 areas of health and fitness, from heart health to sleep, women’s health, mobility, and more.
  • The Health app is available on every iPhone, and acts as a central and secure place for users to view all of their health information. Users can now store over 150 different types of health data
  • Our APIs are enabling third-party developers to create new solutions that promote healthy lifestyles and innovation in health.
  • When users are equipped with their own everyday health data from Apple Watch and iPhone, they have the ability to share that data with researchers to help advance science.
  • The medical and research communities are using our devices, APIs, and frameworks to pioneer new ways of engaging with patients.
  • Health institutions are using Apple devices, APIs, and frameworks to strengthen the relationship between physicians and patients with meaningful data, and enable care from anywhere.
  • All of our health and fitness features have been developed with two overarching principles: scientific validation processes and user privacy

Digging into the full guide, Apple has organized it into two main sections with four subsections in each.

  • iOS 16 and watchOS 9 will offer features that focus on 17 areas of health and fitness, from heart health to sleep, women’s health, mobility, and more.

  • The Health app is available on every iPhone, and acts as a central and secure place for users to view all of their health information. Users can now store over 150 different types of health data

  • Our APIs are enabling third-party developers to create new solutions that promote healthy lifestyles and innovation in health.

  • Health institutions are using Apple devices, APIs, and frameworks to strengthen the relationship between physicians and patients with meaningful data, and enable care from anywhere.

Empowering users on their personal health journey

This section includes:

  • Health data in one place
  • Apple Watch acts as an intelligent guardian for users’ health
  • Features to improve everyday health and fitness
  • Fueling innovative third-party health and fitness apps

Supporting the health ecosystem by collaborating with the medical community

  • Equipping researchers to make new scientific discoveries
  • Strengthening the physician-patient relationship with meaningful data
  • Health Organizations promoting healthy lifestyles with Apple Watch
  • Supporting public health and government initiatives

Apple closes out the guide with an Extensions and Spotlights section and its sources.

Check out the full guide from Apple for all the details.

Has Apple Watch, iPhone, and/or Apple Health been impactful for you? We’d love to hear your story in the comments below!