The Apple Watch Series 8 will herald in Apple's new integrated fertility features, which include body temperature-based ovulation tracking using a brand new sensor.
Unveiled at Wednesday's Apple event, the new Apple Watch has an array of added health features described in part as a stronger "commitment to women's health" — one that will hopefully empower users to have a more hands-on experience with reproductive and personal health monitoring.
SEE ALSO:Rumored Apple Watch fertility tracking is a potential post-Roe nightmareThe new Apple Watch's body temperature sensor tracks your nighttime wrist temperature, taking a digital reading every five seconds in order to detect minute changes while at rest or sleeping, which Apple explained is a reliable indicator for overall body temperatures.
The new sensor tracks changes in a user's baseline body temperature.Credit: AppleBody temperature changes have long been used to detect what's called the "biphasic shift", or a change in body temperatures due to hormonal changes during the ovulation cycle. It's often referred to online as "basal body temperature tracking," as well. Before this tech upgrade, the shift was monitored manually using only an at-home thermometer and personal notebook. And it's even been a rising topic of social media and sexual education conversations.
According to Apple, the Apple Health app will provide retrospective ovulation estimates using these readings. This will automatically alert users to predicted fertility windows and menstrual cycle deviations so they can engage in family planning or document their menstrual and hormonal health to inform conversations with their healthcare professionals. And since shifting body temperatures can also indicate other health issues, the new sensor might have broader health uses, as well.
iPhone and Apple Watch users can connect health data between devices for expanded cycle tracking.Credit: AppleBut the hyper-detailed fertility tracking is a concern for many in the post-Roe privacy-concerned world, and for good reason. The legality of abortion care and intrusions on reproductive rights have forced many period-tracking apps to buff up their data privacy and encouraged individuals to be wary of sharing their personal health information unless expressly necessary. Privacy experts continue to be wary of data collection.
The Health app will send push notifications about cycle deviations.Credit: AppleApple made clear that privacy was "at the core" of the new feature's development, however, and assured Apple event viewers that the newly collected data is only locally stored on Apple devices. This is a key detail that experts told Mashable was an essential improvement in the way other companies store personal information. The tech company, which asserted that data security and privacy as a "fundamental human right" of its users during the event, says that default two-factor authentication, strong passcodes, and end-to-end encryption for iCloud storage ensures that users retain control of what fertility data is collected, where it is stored, and who has access to it.
The new Apple Watch Series 8 is full of interesting new features, and ones that have repercussions for all users. But in an age where Big Tech has continued to get more and more personal, and one in which our government has failed at protecting everyday people from violations of personal privacy, it's important that tech users be informed and vigilant of sharing their personal information.
As the tech giant made clear during the Apple event announcement, "Your health data is yours and yours alone."
TopicsAppleApple WatchSocial Good
(责任编辑：休閑)
One of the most controversial power struggles in media comes to a close
Samsung's foldable phone could transform into a 7
It's official: Russia tampered with the 2016 election via hackers
Guy documents a 9Two states took big steps this week to get rid of the tampon taxMajor earthquake and multiple aftershocks rock central Italy
UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2016, 8:22 a.m. BST 。 Death toll is now at least 247 dead: 190 in Rieti province and
...[详细]'All the best': Sacked head of the world's richest cricket board to Supreme Court
Last afternoon, a prominent sports administrator in India wished the country's apex court "all the b
...[详细]Sikh NYPD officers finally allowed to wear turbans in 'major change' to uniform policy
The New York Police Department is allowing Sikh officers to wear turbans instead of traditional caps
...[详细]Groundbreaking Second Ave. subway station mural features a gay couple
New York City's newest subway line is here to inspire change in more ways than one.After nearly 100
...[详细]'Rocket League' Championship Series Season 2 offers $250,000 prize pool
Rocket League。's competitive scene is just getting started.。The
。 Rocket League 。Championship Series i
...[详细]Oreo Cadbury eggs make your candy stash seem so weak
Oh, Canada. You weren't satisfied with Ryan Reynolds and natural beauty. You had to go and steal the
...[详细]BBC morning show hosts introduce wrong guest live on air
BBC Breakfasthosts Rachel Burden and John Kay gave heroic climber Leslie Binns a beautiful introduct
...[详细]Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner just took friendship goals to a whole new level
LONDON -- The Stark family may still be painfully separated in the Game of Thronesworld, but actors
...[详细]Two astronauts just installed a new parking spot on the International Space Station
UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2016, 2:04 p.m. EDT 。 Astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams are back in the Inter
...[详细]Indian soldier rants about bad food, being forced to sleep on an empty stomach, video goes viral
An Indian soldier has made a heartfelt plea to the country's Prime Minister in a Facebook video that
...[详细]This German startup wants to be your bank (without being a bank)
Miami Heat invest in rising esports team
