One of the interesting - and potentially controversial - features in Apple's new version of iOS is that you can choose to share your Health data with someone you select. The feature is coming to users in the US first. 

Now, the person you're sharing with could be your partner - which will work in a very similar way to how you share activity data at present - but it could also be a doctor or other health professional like a caregiver for an older person so gaps in information can be filled in between appointments or visits.

And, crucially for many, it could also be a parent you're caring for. The healthcare organisation involved will need to be set up for this. 

The iPhone will enable you to share health data with loved ones or a doctor photo 1
Apple

In the Health app itself, there's a new Sharing tab. Apple says that you "have full control over which data they share and with whom... For the person receiving this information, shared data is presented with important insights and trends highlighted."

You can also choose to share certain types of health data like heart rate, detected falls, hours of sleep, or exercise minutes. 

Store your vaccine record and more

Also coming in iOS 15 is the ability to store your immunisations and test results in the Health app. Of course, at the moment there is a lot of interest in this topic and yes - if the health provider enables you to do so, you can download proof of your COVID-19 jab from a browser or QR code and load it into the app. 

The Health app now gets more trend data - 20 types from resting heart rate to sleep to cardio fitness - so you can see how your health is over time. Goals can be tracked and you can also glean info from third-party apps and devices as before. The Heath Records part of the app has been made easier to understand and view the information you want to see. 

We've previously had fall detection on Apple Watch and now this has been taken a step further with Walking Steadiness - where your iPhone will track how you work and proactively warn you if you have poor steadiness on your feet. 

The iPhone will enable you to share health data with loved ones or a doctor photo 3
Apple

Apple says the metric was developed as part of the Apple Heart and Movement Study, which looked at more than 100,000 participants across all ages. The company says that's the largest data set ever used to study fall risk.

WatchOS also introduces the measuring of respiratory rate during sleep - again with the aim of viewing trends over time.