Apple has updated its privacy policy in an effort to reassure users that their data is safe as the iPhone maker moves into health and payment technologies. "We're publishing this website to explain how we handle your personal information, what we do and don't collect, and why," Tim Cook, chief executive officer, said in a message posted on the company?s website yesterday.

Apple is set to roll out new services that will require people to trust it with sensitive information. Apple last week introduced a new smart watch with features such as health tracking along with a mobile-payment system called Apple Pay. The company will start selling its latest iPhone models in stores on Sept. 19.

Apple described how its new operating system for mobile devices encrypts messages in a way that can't be accessed without the user's passcode. Personal data on devices using iOS are placed under a passcode and can't be bypassed, the company said.

"Unlike other companies' messaging services, Apple doesn't scan your communications, and we wouldn't be able to comply with a wiretap order even if we wanted to," the policy said. "Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8."

The announcements follow concerns raised about privacy after pictures of naked celebrities were posted on the Internet. While Apple has said its systems weren't breached, hackers most likely broke into Apple iCloud accounts.

The new Apple privacy policy website encourages users to manage their privacy with various settings and provides tips to avoid phishing scams.

Regarding health data, Apple says that users have specific control over what is shared with applications on devices and that app developers are prohibited from selling or sharing that information to advertisers, data brokers or information resellers.

Separately, Apple said yesterday that it's delaying the release of Healthkit, a new health-tracking software, which is part of the new iOS 8 operating system for the iPhone and iPad.

"We discovered a bug that prevents us from making HealthKit apps available on iOS 8,"Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, said yesterday. "We're working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month."

HealthKit will be a major feature of the Apple Watch, which was also introduced last week, when it goes on sale sometime next year.

Apple's iPhone 6 received two regulatory approvals for use on domestic frequencies but still requires one more licence before it may be sold in the country, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

China's the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement that four models of iPhone 6 -- A1586, A1589, A1524 and A1593 -- have passed 3C (China Compulsory Certification) certification and won approval from the State Radio Regulation of China.

China's 3C certification, similar to the European CE system, is a mandatory certification system that inspects and approves various products to be sold in the Chinese mainland market.

However, the iPhone 6 still needs to obtain a key network access license before it can enter the Chinese mainland market.

Apple China said on its website that models A1586 and A1524 are global versions, while models A1589 and A1593 are geared for the 4G network of China's largest telecom carrier China Mobile.