2 Apple Watch-ing Your Heart
In addition to the new heart rate watch complication, Apple is significantly improving the heart rate app on Apple Watch. During the keynote, COO Jeff Williams showed off the impressive data that Apple Watch can now show you about your resting and recovery heart rate, both of which can be helpful in understanding your fitness improvements. Additionally, in watchOS 4, Apple Watch can alert you to an abnormally high heart rate during an inactive period, in real time, which can be a sign of a medical condition that may have otherwise gone undetected.
Apple is also partnering with Stanford University and the FDA for heart rhythm research, helping to detect atrial fibrillation and other irregular heart rhythms through a program they are calling the Apple Heart Study. This could likely lead to the Apple Watch being a non-invasive screening tool for various heart conditions.