iOS 17 Health App Features: Mood Tracking, Eye Health, Daylight Exposure and More

[MacRumors]

Apple in iOS 17 added new features to the Health app, introducing a mood logging function, tools for maintaining eye health, and more.

This guide highlights all of the features that are new in the Health app in iOS 17.

Mood Tracking

With iOS 17, Apple added a "State of Mind" feature to the Health app. This option is designed to allow you to track your emotions on a daily basis, to get an overall picture of mental wellbeing.

Through Health app notifications or the Apple Watch, you can log your mood at different times throughout the day and input an overall mood for the day.

Logging a mood presents a slider bar with options ranging from Very Unpleasant to Neutral to Pleasant. The options are color coded (very unpleasant is purple, neutral is blue, and very pleasant is orange), and the idea is to drag the slider to the closest representation of your current mood.

From there, Apple asks you what best describes the feeling, and presents a list of adjectives related to the mood that you can select from. The "Very Pleasant" mood, for example, has options like Amazed, Peaceful, Joyful, and Calm. The "Very Unpleasant" mood includes Angry, Sad, Drained, and Stressed, while Neutral moods include Peaceful, Indifferent, and Content.

You cannot input your own adjective, and must use one of the suggestions from Apple. There are a few dozen total options, so the idea is just to choose the closest match.

After you've selected a mood and an accompanying adjective for it, Apple asks what's causing the mood. Options include health, fitness, family, friends, partner, dating, weather, money, and current events, but again, you have to choose from Apple's list. You can, however, add context in this section, so you can write down details on why you've chosen a specific category.

Your mood over time can be viewed on a chart with breakdowns for the week, month, six months, or a year. States, Associations, and Life Factors can all be tapped into so you can see contributing factors to what has influenced how you feel.

You can see what's causing issues or making you happy with a list of every entry broken down by association, the category that includes factors like work and relationships.

Apple also logs life factors to show you patterns on actions that can influence your mood. Life factors include exercise minutes, mindfulness minutes, sleep, and time spent in daylight. Apple directly compares mood over time to exercise over time and other listed factors, so you can figure out if spending time working out or meditating has an impact on overall mood.

Mental Health Questionnaires

The Mental Wellbeing section of the Health app includes health questionnaires that screen for anxiety and depression so you can talk to your doctor if needed. These are screening tools typically used by doctors, and they ask questions related to how you have been feeling over the course of the last few weeks.

Taking these questionnaires populates anxiety and depression risk charts so you can see at a glance if you might need more self care or the help of a doctor at different periods throughout the year. Filling out the questionnaires will give you Anxiety Risk and Depression Risk readings.

Eye Health

Apple in iOS 17 is adding new tools for improving eye health, most of which are aimed at children, but can be used by anyone. In Screen Time, there's a new "Screen Distance" setting that is meant to reduce eye strain by making sure an iPhone or an iPad is not held too close to the face.

If the iPhone or iPad is too close, an alert will let you (or your child) know that the display needs to be further away. Apple recommends a viewing distance of 12 inches for the eyes, and offers a position guide to help users know where to hold the device for optimal viewing without eye strain.

Time in Daylight

The Apple Watch can measure the amount of time that is spent in daylight, and this is another feature aimed at children. There are studies that suggest spending 80 to 120 minutes outdoors can lower the risk of nearsightedness or myopia, and so paired with an Apple Watch running watchOS 10, the Health app is able to tell you how much time was spent in the daylight... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iOS 17 Health App Features: Mood Tracking, Eye Health, Daylight Exposure and More

 

[robertmorris2]

An electronic mood ring..

 

[B4U]

Manually log my own mood?
That is so advanced...[/sarcasm]

I am always angry!

 

[Howard2k]

I’m glad to see the iPad app.

 

[Stuey3D]

How does the time in daylight thing work if the Apple Watch is under a sleeve? Surely the ambient light sensor is covered and it will think its dark anyway.

 

[fatTribble]

Does time in front of my iPad count towards Time in Daylight? 🤔

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Apple: "We care about your eye health!"
Also Apple: "Here take a screen that you strap to your face!"

 

[Rafterman]

How about some d@mn widgets? Or being able to sync phone and watch so that steps show the same on both?

 

[Howard2k]

How about some d@mn widgets? Or being able to sync phone and watch so that steps show the same on both?

They do synchronize. The steps shown on the phone is the total of phone+watch. So if you're taking your watch off to charge it but leave the phone in your pocket it knows to count steps from the phone during this time.

 

[mebehere]

Medications affect mood. That should be an option.

 

[symphony]

Apple needs to make the app more friendly to log data, similar to their journal app, with a plus button in the centre. It's a chore to do currently

 

[japanime]

Would love to see Apple add the ability to create audiograms. There are third-party apps are available to create them, but I'd prefer it be done by the Health app.

 

[Hornby]

I will have to try the mood tracking again but I decided to turn it off because it kept interrupting what I was doing, making me angry and annoyed when answering the questions. 😝

 

[Rafterman]

They do synchronize. The steps shown on the phone is the total of phone+watch. So if you're taking your watch off to charge it but leave the phone in your pocket it knows to count steps from the phone during this time.

I meant that the phone and watch should always show your total steps for the day and be the same - not just on the phone. The step numbers should be your totals. The watch shouldn't just be showing watch-counted steps. The phone and watch should not be different.

 

[autrefois]

The Health app has been limited to the ‌iPhone‌ since it was introduced, but with iPadOS 17, it's also available on the ‌iPad‌.

Finally! Could a calculator app be far behind?!

 

[svish]

Screen distance is a great feature. Also good to have Health app on iPad

 

[Robert.Walter]

Badly need health and medications on the Mac so I can help my 90 yo mom manage her medication reminders.

It’s just too tough to set up using screen sharing.

If Apple really loves the Mac it should show it some respect and stop crippling it by reserving features for iOS only.

Also should require devs to have a companion Mac app if they are going to have an iOS or iPad one. (Now we have common basis for silicon it’s not an ARM vs Intel compatability issue anymore.)

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

I love the new features of the Health app. iOS 17 is by far the best update in my experience. Especially the Mental Wellbeing feature. I hope that in the future Apple will add physical mood as well, as in physically tired, fit or sluggish etc.

 

[Cunir]

If someone tries to phone you maybe it could warn them that you're in a foul mood.

 

[hagar]

Both the Health and Fitness apps have the most confusing, ugly interfaces ever created by Apple. In fact, the designers should be executed. Or at least fired.

 

[racingbull]

Time in daylight doesn’t work for me at all (Italy). Is this a US-exclusive feature? Does it need to be set up?
Any ideas?

 

[iPay]

Mood Tracking: This option is designed to allow us you to track your emotions on a daily basis
Valuable data in consumer behavior prediction, proudly brought to you in electronic form straight from the user.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Nice. When someones mood is murderistic rage and your mood is horny perhaps it could alert you to approach with caution or avoid. …or not, if thats your thing I guess. I dont judge.

 

[autistic-savant]

“… features aimed at children”. Anyone else find that chilling?

 

[Lioness~]

Artificial Mommy and Daddy Apple, no thanks.

I find these things in opposition to make people more aware of themself from within.

For my training, activity and sleep, I have a Polar training watch, and have had a few in row. They fit my needs perfectly, and are not intrusive in any way. It’s also sleek and round, and not a brick to wear.