How technology is helping so many people take small steps to build healthier habits

This week in Mumbai, I met a group of Indian developers creating apps that are pushing the boundaries of innovation. But the stakes of their work aren’t just the success of a business. These developers work every day to empower people to protect the most precious gift we all share: our health.

As a physician, I’ve always been fascinated by technology’s potential to help people live healthier lives. Years of medical progress have yielded so many incredible innovations — from medical imaging that unlocks the body’s secrets, to life-saving surgical interventions. But much of the time, we only seek medical attention after a calamitous health event. We break a bone, and we get it fixed — or we have a heart attack, and we go to a hospital.

Far too often, we only start caring about our health after a health disaster. But thanks to advancements in technology, today we have more tools than ever to help us live healthier lives. The technology we carry with us — on our wrist, or in the palm of our hand — can help us tune into the warning signs of a potential health condition down the road. And those insights can empower us to take small, everyday steps to build healthy habits that go a long way for our health.

That’s why the developers I’ve met in India fill me with hope for the future. Their apps use machine learning and the camera on iPhone to help detect eye diseases, like diabetic retinopathy. They use AI and Computer Vision to fix your form during a yoga flow. And they empower women with coaching and support for their health and fitness.

Dr Sumbul Desai

Thanks to powerful technologies in the iPhone and Apple Watch, apps like these help so many people take small steps to build healthy habits. Together, we’re building a holistic health ecosystem — one that empowers you to take a proactive approach to your health.

For example, as a doctor, staying active is one of the most important prescriptions I can give to a patient. We saw an opportunity to help people do exactly that, so our fitness team designed the Activity Rings on Apple Watch to give you daily fitness goals to strive for. It’s an accessible, intuitive tool for everyone — wherever you are on your fitness journey.

Walking Steadiness is another great example. Using custom algorithms and built-in sensors, iPhone can notify you if you are at risk of taking a fall — and recommend simple exercises to help improve your stability. That’s important, because a single fall can lead to a cascade of medical issues.

This feature helps you take a proactive approach, working to prevent falls before they happen. But if you do fall, Fall Detection on your watch can detect it and call for help. That shorter response time can make all the difference in helping you get the treatment you need, and preventing longer-term health consequences down the road.

We get so many notes from people sharing the profound difference technology has made in their health journey — whether it’s getting out to exercise more often, or alerting them to a serious heart condition like possible atrial fibrillation. It’s why we’re so committed to building even more tools that help people take charge of their health.

This work is not a side project for us — it’s a central focus of innovation. And meeting doctors and developers here in India reminds me of how many people are a part of this journey. Together, we’re helping so many people take small steps to build healthier habits — and I’ve never been more optimistic about technology’s potential to empower people and improve lives.