Apple is continuing its focus on health and wellness with a number of new features coming to iOS/iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10.

Here’s what to expect in the new software.

1. Health App for the iPad

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Image Credit: Apple

There’s now another way to see all of your important health and fitness data on your Apple devices. Starting with iPadOS, 17, the Health app will be available on the larger screen of the tablet. It’s easily one of the best iPadOS 17 features announced at WWDC 2023.

The app on the iPad will allow users to see information from the iPhone and Apple Watch along with third-party apps. Designed for a bigger screen, there is a new look for the Favorites area and detailed interactive charts. The app is also compatible with the iPad’s Split View and Multitasking features.

Third-party app developers can now also use HealthKit on the iPad for new health and fitness experiences.

2. Mental Health

mental health iOS 17
Image Credit: Apple

Both the Health app on the iPhone and iPad in iOS/iPadOS 17, along with the Mindfulness app in watchOS 10, will introduce a new way for users to reflect on their current state of mind. You’ll be able to scroll through multidimensional shapes that correspond with how you are feeling—everything from Very Pleasant to Very Unpleasant.

Then you can select from associations with the biggest impact on your current feelings like Travel or Family. Finally, you can select from words to describe your feeling like Grateful or Worried.

Using the Health app, you can then see insights to help identify what might be contributing to your current state of mind like sleep or exercise. Those can be better used to manage your overall health.

In the Health app, users can now also take the same depression and anxiety assessments used in health clinics. That can help anyone determine their risk level, connect to resources available in the region, and create a PDF to share with a doctor.

3. Vision Health

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Image Credit: Apple

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, affects more than 30 percent of the current world’s population. And that’s expected to grow to 50 percent of the world by 2050.

But there are a number of ways to reduce that risk factor, starting in childhood. Two of those ways include spending more time outdoors in daylight and increasing the distance at which something like a device or book is viewed.

According to the International Myopia Institute, children should spend at least 80-120 minutes a day outdoors to reduce their risk. Starting with watchOS 10, you can measure your time spent in daylight with the ambient light sensor. That information can be seen in the Health app on the iPhone and iPad.

Along with that addition, make sure to see some of the other great new features arriving in watchOS 10.

For a child without an iPhone, parents can use Family Setup to view that time in daylight data.

A new Screen Distance uses the TrueDepth camera found on the iPhone and iPad. It will encourage users to move their device farther away after holding it closer than 12 inches for an extended period of time. It will also provide tips for younger users to engage in healthy viewing habits and give adults the opportunity to reduce eye strain.

New Features Arriving This Fall

All of the new features will arrive this fall with the official introduction of iOS/iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10.

Adding the Health app to the iPad is a great way to see important information on the larger screen of the tablet. And the mental health and vision health features are also nice additions to an already robust set of features across Apple devices.