Apple iPhone users will soon be able to have their blood pressure, temperature and pulse monitored by their mobile – and the results sent direct to their GP.

The company has unveiled an app called HealthKit which offers the ability to send data to your family doctor.

It will rely on additional equipment, such as a wrist-strap  heart monitor that connects wirelessly to the iPhone.

But Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said a key feature of the app was its ability to send an automatic alert to a doctor if vital signs approach dangerous levels. And it wasn’t the only development revealed by the firm yesterday.

Parents will also be able to receive an alert if their children try to buy music or games online.

Company boss Tim Cook announced that the new ‘Family Sharing’ feature will allow up to six members of a family to share apps, photos and music on their iPhones, iPads and Apple Mac computers.

The functions, part of Apple’s new iOS 8 software, means parents can save money because they will not have to buy an app for themselves and each of their children.

Calendars, books and films will also be shared across computers and mobile phones. But parents concerned about their children racking up huge bills through online games will be most interested in the new payment controls.

Family Sharing will allow apps to be purchased with only one credit card. It means a parent will receive a notification on their mobile phone if a child wants to make a purchase, with permission needed before the transaction can go ahead.

The firm also launched HomeKit, a system to allow users to control appliances by turning their iPhone into a remote. 

As reported in the Daily Mail last week, Apple has been working with appliance manufacturers to allow iPhones to control heating systems, security alarms and ovens from a distance.

The software, officially launched last night at Apple’s annual conference in San Francisco, will also allow iPhones to open doors, control lights – even carry out commands such as ‘get ready for bed’, which would dim lights and lock all doors.

Another new feature is the Apple CarPlay system, announced earlier this year, which links an iPhone to a car’s sound system. It allows a driver to access the phone’s Siri voice recognition software via a vehicle’s radio to make hands-free calls and listen to voicemail. 

Mr Cook will hope the updates return Apple to the levels of popularity last seen under co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011.

With iPhone and iPad sales no longer as high as they once were, Mr Cook has been under immense pressure to come up with technology to take on rivals such as Samsung.

 He told the 5,000-strong audience the firm’s software had been completely redesigned to work ‘seamlessly’.

‘Together our devices provide an integrated and continuous experience across all of them,’ he said. 

‘Apple engineers platforms, devices and services together. We do this so we can create a seamless experience for our users that is unparalleled in the industry. This is something only Apple can do.’