Apple is so determined to make you an organ donor that it’s going to give you the option to become one straight from your phone. A new report from the Associated Press reveals that Apple will add an “easy sign-up button” to its Health app (pre-installed on every phone) with the release of iOS 10 this fall.
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Once iOS 10 launches, iPhone owners will be able to enroll in a national donor registry by clicking a button in the Health app. This functionality will be available on all US-based iPhones updated with the latest software.
Speaking with the Associated Press, Tim Cook said that he hoped this new feature might put an end to the donor shortage which has led to the deaths of thousands of Americans over the past decade. The issue hits especially close to home for Cook because he had to watch Steve Jobs endure what he calls an “excruciating” wait for a liver transplant in 2009, two years before his death.
The latest numbers from the National Kidney Foundation show that over 121,000 people are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, with a vast majority of those in need of kidney transplants. Despite the fact that more than 120 million Americans are registered as organ donors, an average of 22 people die every day waiting for an organ donation.
Although iOS 10 doesn’t have a release date yet, the public beta is scheduled to roll out this month, while the final software should release in September.
