Following the introduction to iOS 12 and and watchOS 5, Apple has also announced a new Health Records API for developers and researchers to create an ecosystem of apps that utilize health record data to better manage medications, nutrition plans, diagnosed diseases and more.

For the first time, consumers will be able to share medical records from multiple hospitals with their favorite apps, and this new Health Records feature will allow patients of more than 500 hospitals and clinics to access medical information from various institutions.

It's worth noting that Health Records data is encrypted on the iPhone and protected with the consumer’s iPhone passcode. When users choose to share their health record data with trusted apps, the data flows directly from HealthKit to the third-party app and it's not transferred to Apple’s servers.

Developers that are building health apps can also individualize experiences, with the user’s permission, based on the user’s unique health history across key categories, including medication tracking; a connection with the Health Records that allows consumers to easily import their prescription list without manual entry, as well as receiving relevant medication information, disease management; a diabetes app that could access a patient’s lab results from their Health Records as well as their diet and exercise details, nutrition planning; a healthy eating app that could offer consumers tailored programs based on their high blood pressure or cholesterol results, and finally, medical research; doctors can integrate patient medical data into their ResearchKit study apps for a more complete view of their participants’ health background.

For the full details, head on over to Apple.

In other Apple news, this latest leak hints that the company has abandoned plans for a budget iPhone X.