The Apple Watch 6 could add mental health to the watch's wellbeing features by being able to detect elevated stress levels and panic attacks

According to leaker Max Weinbach and YouTube channel EverythingApplePro, Apple is working on making future wearables better at detecting early signs of stress and panic using built-in sensors

While being notified that one is on the verge of a panic attack may increase anxiety, the information may help some people prevent stress from building up before it does Essentially, it would be a more proactive version of the Apple Watch's "breath" notification

According to a joint video from Weinbach and EverythingApplePro, the stress detection feature is only available to Apple Watch 4 and later users, and an ECG may be key to the new feature

The Apple Watch already helped guide breathing and provide insight into heart rate, but the latest Apple Watch 6 rumors suggest that the company is serious about working to incorporate more mental health tools for users

EverythingApplePro also states that the Apple Watch 6 will introduce sleep monitoring It is expected to have better battery life and allow users to wear it all night instead of having to recharge it This was also a rumor for the Apple Watch 5

That said, there is no guarantee that these features will be realized when the Apple Watch 6 debuts with the iPhone 12 in the fall However, a progress update to watchOS 7 is expected around WWDC 2020 in June (which is now available online), and we may see what is in store for Apple Watch health initiatives