Apple still won't give iPad and Mac users this lifesaving iPhone feature

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Health data on iPhone
Health data on iPhone (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple is reportedly unlikely to bring the health app to iPad and Mac.
  • The Health app is currently only available as an iPhone app.
  • Health information including heart rate data and more can be found in the Health app.

Apple is set to announce a raft of new software updates during the WWDC opening keynote on June 6, but while a ton of features will be added and others will be refreshed, one much-wanted feature isn't going to be announced according to a new report.

Writing as part of the weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that those hoping that the Health app will make the jump from iPhone to iPad or Mac will be out of luck.

Currently, the only device that includes the Health app is Apple's iPhone, leaving iPad and Mac owners left to use their phone's small display when checking out potentially lifesaving information, including that regarding their heart rate and more. It has been hoped that Apple will bring the Health app to its other platforms for a number of years but, according to Gurman, that won't happen as part of the WWDC22 announcements.

On the more positive side, the iPhone and Apple Watch's health features should see improvements.

While the Health app probably won't be expanding to the iPad and Mac, it will get plenty of new features that work with the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Apple is likely to announce iPadOS 16 and macOS 13 during its event, bringing new features that are reportedly set to include an updated multitasking system on iPad and refreshed Settings app on Mac.

The Health app is one of the best iPhone features of recent years and, alongside Apple Watch's own health tracking and alerting functionality, can very much help to save lives. Here's hoping that the Health app jumps to iPad and Mac in 2023.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.