iPhones to Track Sexual Activity as Solution to Tech’s ‘Woman Problem’

Hey, Ladies! After facing backlash for not having “period tracking” for women in their Health app, Apple has updated the app to be able to track your menstrual cycle -- and even when you have sex and whether or not you used protection.

Last year, Apple launched a Health app with the aim of pulling together users’ health information into one convenient storage program. Despite enabling the tracking of all kinds of random health data, such as inhaler use, the section for reproductive health was missing.  This led many to speak out, stating that the oversight was symptomatic of a male-heavy tech industry overlooking half of the world’s population.

The announcement of the new lady-friendly features in the iOS9 Healthkit update came at the Worldwide Developers Conference, where other efforts were made to be more inclusive towards women, such as including women in the keynote, something which has somehow never happened before.  

Currently, only 30% of Apple’s employees are female, and only 20% of their engineers are women.

The reproductive health tracker appears to be focused on fertility and will allow female users to not only track their periods and sexual activities, but also the condition of cervical mucous (color and consistency), menstrual flow amount (light, medium, or heavy), and ovulation test results.

Other health features revealed at the conference included tracking how often users are in a sedentary state, their hydration levels, and UV exposure.

Apple also stressed that the information users track will be kept private unless they choose to share it.