During its September keynote, Apple introduced a new research application that will allow users to participate in health studies. The application has now been officially released in the US App Store.
The new application lists all active health studies. Interested parties can register for the respective area and participate directly. There are currently three topics to choose from: women's health, heart & exercise and hearing. The women's health category, for example, draws data from the cycle app and is intended to improve understanding of menstrual cycles. The heart & exercise study receives all recorded data on exercise and heart health. Apple's third study - Hearing - evaluates the effects of noise pollution on general hearing health. The research app records information from the iPhone or Apple Watch. Of course, as always, data protection is a top priority. The Cupertino-based company promises that only data relevant to the respective study will be shared. The press release states:
"Today is an important moment as we launch research initiatives that have the potential to provide incredible insights in areas long sought after by the medical community. Research App participants have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact that could lead to new discoveries and help millions live healthier lives."
The information is evaluated in collaboration with various institutes. According to Apple, some of these records, depending on the area of study, are also shared with the World Health Organization. It is unknown when the research app will be introduced in other countries. Apple has not yet provided any information on this. (Photo by Denys Prykhodov / Bigstockphot)
