The Apple Watch has earned a reputation for its health tracking capabilities, and Apple is reportedly looking to include more features in future smartwatches. However, the Apple Watch may not be the only Apple product with a future in monitoring health.

Future iPhones may play a role in tracking and possibly detecting health conditions before problems manifest themselves. The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is developing iPhone features that could help detect conditions such as depression and cognitive decline.

Specifically, Apple is working with the University of California, Los Angeles and biotechnology company Biogen on separate studies to detect potential mental health concerns. Detection will rely on data collected from sensors on movement, physical activity, sleep patterns, and typing behavior, among other factors.

It is unclear whether this research will lead to consumer features in future Apple products, but the company has some foresight in this area. As the Wall Street Journal points out, Apple collaborated with Stanford University on a study a while back that used smartwatches to detect atrial fibrillation. The ability to identify heart rhythm disturbances is now a standard part of the Apple Watch's functionality.

Health detection features have been a topic of growing interest at Apple. The iOS 15 update, just released this week, adds a new feature to the iPhone's built-in Health app, which uses the phone's sensors to monitor balance and stability as you walk. The Health app in iOS 15 also provides trend analysis and allows users to share health data with family members and their physicians.

The upcoming Apple Watch 7 does not offer many new health features, but that will likely change in future watches. Previous reports have indicated that Apple is eyeing an impressive list of health tracking features in future versions of the Apple Watch, with some likely to appear next year. Features that Apple is reportedly working on include blood pressure monitoring, built-in temperature tracking, blood sugar detection, and more advanced sleep tracking tools.

Since the Apple Watch is worn on the wrist and is already used to track physical activity, it seems natural to include such health monitoring features. However, some health monitoring is also possible with the iPhone: the iPhone's sensors can detect movement, and as a device that most of us carry with us at all times, the iPhone can capture a lot of data that might not otherwise be recorded.

Apple has another incentive to expand the iPhone's health tracking capabilities. Handset makers are already attempting to make their phones stand out from the crowd with features such as longer battery life, dynamic display updates, and cameras enhanced by computational photography. Health tools are a whole new frontier, and Apple has a certain credibility based on its work on the Apple Watch.

Of course, it's all a long way off and may not lead to new iPhone features. However, multiple studies reported by the Wall Street Journal involving Apple's iPhone (perhaps even collaborating with Duke University on a study of autism using the iPhone's camera) suggest that this could be a major focus of future Apple products.