iOS 8 Health app now uses iPhone motion sensor to track steps

sincity · July 8, 2014

While most mobile fitness apps are focused on wrist-friendly wearables, Apple could be planning to tap into a smartphone that may already be in your pocket to record footsteps and other data.

9to5Mac has done some digging into Apple's latest iOS 8 Beta 3 released Monday, which includes several improvements to the built-in Health app which made its debut at WWDC 2014 last month.

Starting with the latest beta, the Health app now appears to tap directly into the M7 motion tracking hardware included with the iPhone 5S to source fitness data, all without the need for a fabled iWatch or other fitness device worn by the user.

Using nothing but the handset alone, the Health app is now capable of reporting the user's motion in a Steps counter tab, which includes a full week's worth of data that can be sorted by Day, Week, Month, or Year similar to other health-centric apps.

Watch that caffeine

According to the report, the Health app works quite well using nothing more than the new on-device support, adding that the "tracking functionality appears to work well and accurately" for both steps and distance.

In addition to tapping into the M7 sensor, Apple's Health app has also added caffeine intake to a long list of nutritional categories capable of being tracked by the software, a welcome addition for frequent java or tea junkies.

Last but certainly not least, the Medical ID section of Health has been tweaked with a red navigation bar that makes the emergency card feature of the app a bit easier on the eyes.

iOS 8 Beta 3 was released to developers on Monday along with a third release of OS X Yosemite 10.10 for the Mac, which deliver iCloud Drive signup, Wi-Fi calling for T-Mobile iPhones and improvements to QuickType, Photos and FaceTime.