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The Apple Watch is actually good for your health

Published May 15th, 2015 5:20PM EDT
Apple Watch Health Data: Hello Heart
Image: Hello Heart

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The Apple Watch is a great device for a lot of things, most notably fitness. Just like other smartwatches and fitness bands, the Watch can measure your heart rate and record fitness sessions, relaying all the data back to the iPhone and the other health-related apps you have installed. In fact, it turns out the Apple Watch has a highly accurate heart rate sensor, making it a great tool to quickly measure heart performance.

And data from one health app reveals the Watch’s key health features are already changing for the better the lives of people who’re using them to better monitor their health.

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Looking at data from its own iPhone and Watch hypertension-managing app, Hello Heart found that users who own an Apple Watch have started taking health monitoring more seriously than iPhone-only users. “We analyzed the usage data from thousands of Hello Heart users on Apple Watch and iPhone and the surprising bottom line is yes! It really does make you care more about your health,” the company said in a press release.

When comparing Apple Watch to iPhone-only app users, the company discovered that 52% more people added blood pressure readings if they also had a Watch compared to iPhone-only users. Being a wearable device, the Watch is even easier to use to quickly take a heart rate reading to understand how their blood pressure might be trending, Hello Heart says, adding that 35% of the Apple Watch users who have installed the app have added a Hello Heart Glance so they can access the app even faster.

Watch users are also more likely to add notifications about checking blood pressure than iPhone-only users.

The company found that users who start tracking their health data using the Watch are more likely to do it more often than on the iPhone. Retention rate for the app was 55% higher on Watch than on iPhone, Hello Heart analytics discovered. Finally, the company says Watch users have added 67% more data to the app than iPhone users, including drugs info as well as results from doctors and labs results.

More details about the Hello Heart application, and how it can help you better track your health regardless of whether you’re buying the Apple Watch or not, are available at this link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.