Apple has announced a dedicated app for iPhone and Apple Watch users who are willing to share their health data for studies.
An App For Health Research
The new Research app, which will be available on the App Store later this year, was revealed on Tuesday, Sept. 10, during a press event held in the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
The effort expands on the Apple Heart Study, which was launched in 2017. A first of its kind, the Apple Heart Study investigated whether wearable devices can detect irregular heart rhythms.
"With the Apple Heart Study, we found that we could positively impact medical research in ways that help patients today and that make contributions that will benefit future generations," stated Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams. "Today's announcement carries our commitment to health even further by engaging with participants on a larger scale than ever before."
The company assured that, to protect the privacy of users, Apple will not be able to access identifiable data of those who choose to contribute to research.
Heart, Hearing, And Women's Health
To encourage adoption, Apple also presented new medical studies that will be available on the Research app. The trillion-dollar company partnered with leading academic and research institutions such as the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The first study will look at how a woman's menstrual cycle can be used to screen for conditions like infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, pregnancy, menopause, and osteoporosis.
Another study will focus on the long-term impact of loud noise to a person's hearing health. The study, a first of its kind, will use the Noise app on the Apple Watch to see the impacts of exposure to everyday sounds to the human ear. The data from the Research app will be shared to the World Health Organization's Make Listening Safe initiative.
The third study will explore the correlation between physical movement and overall health. It will specifically investigate how mobility signals like walking pace or flights of stairs climb relate to falls, hospitalizations, heart health, and quality of life.
