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Dear Tim letters

When the Apple Watch was originally released in 2015, it was pitched as a great watch, an intimate way to communicate, and a comprehensive fitness device. While the original Apple Watch (later renamed Series 0) lacked GPS and was generally a slow device, it has shown dramatic improvements year over year particularly for Apple’s health initiatives.

When Apple released the Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watches, it added heart rate monitoring for Apple Health. When you enable heart rate monitoring, you  can also turn on heart rate notifications, so you know if your heart rate remains above or below a chosen beats per minute (BPM), or to occasionally check for an irregular heart rhythm. Irregular rhythm notifications are available only with watchOS 5.1.2 or later in certain countries.

With Apple Watch Series 4, Apple added a electrocardiogram monitoring (also known as ECG and EKG). The ECG app on Apple Watch (Series 4 or newer) can record your heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor and then check the reading for atrial fibrillation (AFib). It then records that information into the Apple Health app.

Since the release of Apple Watch, there have been countless stories of people’s lives being saved by the health advancements in Apple Watch and Apple’s Health initiatives.

Apple Watch ECG

If you have an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, here’s a how to guide on how to take an ECG.

Apple also includes a Health app on the iPhone where it easy to learn about your health and start reaching your goals. It consolidates data from iPhone, Apple Watch, and third-party apps in one place.

Top Stories on Apple Health

Track medications and supplements on iPhone: How the new iOS 16 feature works

Track medications on iPhone

The Health app gets fresh capabilities with iOS 16 that will be valuable for many users. A major new feature is the ability to track medications on iPhone (vitamins and supplements too). Read on for a look at how it works to use the iOS 16 feature.

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Apple machine learning speech focuses on benefits for accessibility and health

Apple machine learning | Abstract image of robot head

Apple machine learning projects span almost every aspect of the company’s activities, but in a new speech at an AI conference, a senior exec spoke specifically about the benefits for accessibility and health.

Ge Yue, Apple VP and managing director of Apple Greater China, gave her speech at the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai …

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Withings reveals its ‘most precise’ smart scale with body composition, cardio and nerve assessment

Withings Body Comp smart scale

Withings has shared an early look at its upcoming health device and the company says it’s the “most precise and complete smart scale” and also comes with “its first advanced services offer.” The Body Comp smart scale with Apple Health integration will be launching on October 4 with full body composition measurements, cardiovascular and nerve assessments, and more.

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Apple Watch heart attack detection shown to work – but many barriers to real-life use

Apple Watch heart attack detection | Ambulance arriving at hospital

A medical review has shown that Apple Watch heart attack detection is technically feasible using nothing more than the ECG sensors built into current models.

While Apple’s recommended method of taking an ECG reading results in a 1-lead reading, it is possible to apply a different method to obtain a 9-lead read. There are, however, important provisos to this health news …

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Amazon to buy One Medical – should this be Apple’s next step in healthcare?

Apple Healthcare

Amazon is acquiring One Medical, a company that operates a network of boutique primary-care practices, for around $3.9 billion. As the health market is one of the most profitable in the world and Apple is heavily betting in this sector with the Apple Watch and tons of health studies, should this be the company’s next step and start seeking its way in healthcare?

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Apple created the ultimate guide for how Apple Watch and Health are improving lives

Apple Health report iPhone Apple Watch healthcare

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.

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Period tracking apps could see their data legally protected; how to secure yours

Period tracking apps | Cycle tracking apps | Close-up of a woman's hand, holding an iPhone

The legal risks of prosecutors getting access to data from period tracking apps have been getting increasing attention. The Democratic party now plans to enact legislation to provide legal protection for the privacy of this data.

The news was announced by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who also outlined plans for additional legal protections for women seeking abortions …

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Apple Watch Parkinson’s monitoring app gets FDA clearance for clinical use

Apple Watch Parkinson's | Model of brain on a display stand

Apple Watch Parkinson’s monitoring was one of the things Apple demonstrated when it first announced ResearchKit, back in 2015. But a new developer partner has now taken this idea to a whole new level.

Rather than just gather aggregated data to help researchers, a new app can gather personalized data to provide doctors with much more reliable data for individual treatment …

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AFib History is the quiet beginning of a huge Apple Health revolution

AFib History | A doctor examines skull x-rays

When Apple announced AFib History as part of watchOS 9, it sounded like a kind of useful feature to have, but not really relevant to most people. But stated quietly within the announcement was something that I think will be absolutely huge, as the Watch gains the ability to detect more health conditions.

The Watch is going to play a massive role in helping you and your medical professionals to identify the role that lifestyle factors may have on your health …

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Review: Revisiting the Lumen metabolic analyzer with Apple Health integration

Lumen review metabolic analyzer

It’s been two years since the pocket-sized Lumen metabolic analyzer launched with a thoughtful iOS app and Apple Health integration. Over the last month, I’ve been using the device again to test out updates like a new food/macro log and Apple Watch app, along with a desire to be more intentional with my nutrition and exercise.

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Domestic violence app aims to help victims, including disguised emergency button

domestic violence app woman hiding her face

A domestic violence app aims to provide help to victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), offering everything from an encrypted diary of evidence to a way to call police without the need to speak.

To guard against the risk of abusive partners recognizing the app, it takes a number of precautions – including having no name …

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Lumen metabolic analyzer iOS app gets overhauled food logging and macro tracking

Lumen, the pocket-sized device that measures your metabolism to help you achieve health and fitness goals is out with a nice update. The iOS-supported device with Apple Health integration has received a refresh for its built-in food log and macro tracker that lets you see the impact your nutrition has on metabolism in real-time.

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Hands-on: Withings BPM Connect portable blood pressure monitor with Apple Health support

portable blood pressure monitor

May is Blood Pressure Education Month with May 17 serving as World Hypertension Day to raise awareness and help detect, prevent, and control the health issue. This month we’ve been trying out the most portable blood pressure monitor medically cleared by the FDA, the Withings BPM Connect. Read along for a detailed look at this blood pressure monitor with Apple Health integration plus how far Withings has come in recent years.

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Life Itself conference has Apple chairman and health chief in speaker line-up

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Both Apple chairman Art Levinson and health lead Sumbul Desai are among the speaker line-up for Life Itself, a conference which aims ‘to inspire and foster changes in healthcare, while celebrating leaders whose work helps us all to be healthier and happier humans.’

The conference is co-hosted by CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta and TEDMED creator Marc Hodosh, and is open to ‘a limited number’ of guests …

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Apple Watch: Four advanced health features you’re probably not using

Apple Health features

Beyond Apple Watch’s ability to track basic activities like steps and exercise, more sophisticated features like ECG, high/low heart rate warnings, and fall detection offer a lot of value and have gained mainstream attention. But flying under the radar, Apple Watch has several lesser-known important capabilities that measure everything from current to future overall health, likelihood of mortality, and your base metabolic rate. Let’s look at four hidden Apple Watch health features you’re probably not using.

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How to get the most out of Apple Health on iPhone and Apple Watch

Apple health

Apple’s Health app features a lot of information and can be overwhelming to the average user. It integrates with other apps to give you an overall summary of your health in one place. When used between iPhone and Apple Watch, it can be a useful tool in maintaining your optimal wellbeing. 

Here’s how you can navigate Apple Health a bit better.

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