In spite of development issues with blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, Apple is still planning to add body temperature monitoring and new health features to the Apple Watch in the coming year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple is also planning to add multiple new features to the iPhone’s Health app, including a heart rate monitor and a sleep tracker.
Apple has apparently been working on an improved sensor for the Apple Watch that is capable of diagnosing whether or not a user has high blood pressure, but the accuracy of the device has been a source of contention when it has been tested on company personnel. It is claimed that the function would be able to notify users whether they may have hypertension rather than providing particular systolic and diastolic values for their blood pressure. Despite the fact that Apple has been working on the feature for at least four years, it is not expected to be completed until 2024 at the earliest, and it may not even be ready until 2025.
Apple is also working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, although the functionality is expected to be released several years down the road, and the firm has not set a release date at this point. To aid people with diabetes, Apple has considered ways to improve support for third-party glucose meters on devices like the Apple Watch and the iPhone’s Health app, according to a report by CNBC.
Currently, Apple is working on adding new women’s health features to the Apple Watch and iPhone, as well as new sleep, fitness, and medication management tools to the iPhone’s Health app, all of which will be available in the near future. Apple is still intending to include a body temperature sensor in the Apple Watch later this year, with the feature first intended to help with reproductive planning, according to the firm. Future Apple Watch models may be able to discern whether or not a user’s body temperature is greater than usual, although they are unlikely to provide a precise reading.
During the development of watchOS 9, Apple intends to enhance its existing atrial fibrillation detection function with the addition of the ability to assess how long an individual has been in a condition of atrial fibrillation over a specified period of time. The Apple Watch’s Exercise app may also provide more running workout kinds as well as extra stats for those who want to run.
iOS 16 is expected to include enhancements to the Health app that will allow users to track their sleep more effectively, as well as additional prescription management and women’s health capabilities. Users will be able to scan their pills into the Health app, and the app will remind them to take them, according to reports. However, the initial version, which is expected to arrive this year, will likely not feature all of the capabilities that Apple has intended for it.
The company’s health team has seen a number of departures in recent months, and some employees have expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s progress, claiming that improvements are taking too long, not enough risks are being taken, and that the Health team has not grown in at least two years. Apple is working on new health features, and the company has seen a number of departures from its health team.