Apple’s Research app is getting a significant update, the company said on Wednesday. In collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate, Apple is launching the Apple Health Study. This extensive, virtual and completely optional study will collect and analyze Apple users’ health metrics, such as sleep, heart and respiration rates; activity levels and more. Apple aims to further understand the connection between technology and social, mental and physical health and whether subtle personal health changes can signal something larger.
This isn’t Apple’s first health study
Apple has already conducted three studies through its Research app: the Apple Heart and Movement Study, the Apple Women’s Health Study and the Apple Hearing Study. These studies had a combined total of about 420,000 participants. The data collected paved the way for new iPhone health features.
Apple’s vice president of health, Sumbul Desai, M.D., said in a statement: “The valuable insights we’ve gained since launching the Research app have allowed us to bring innovative new tools to our users — including the Vitals app on Apple Watch and Walking Steadiness on iPhone — and surface new insights in areas of health that have long been undervalued, like menstrual and hearing health.”
What Apple aims to find
The Apple Health Study won’t focus solely on one area of health. Instead it’ll take a holistic view of wellness, including but not limited to mental health, activity level, cardiovascular health, metabolic health, mobility, neurologic health, respiratory health, sleep and more. In addition to data, the study will also ask participants questions about lifestyle and habits. This will allow researchers to explore the connections between all areas of well-being, such as sleep and exercise; mood and heart rate; and so on. Participation allows Apple to evolve over time, because insights gathered may influence future product development.
Dr. Calum MacRae, a cardiologist, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and principal investigator of the Apple Health Study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement: “We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of how technology can improve our understanding of human health. We are excited to be part of the Apple Health Study, as it will continue to explore connections across different areas of health using technology that so many people carry with them every day.”
Who can participate in this new study?
Though only Apple Watch users were permitted to participate in the past studies, the Apple Health Study is open to all iPhone users, wherever they are in the world. This includes those who use AirPods, Apple Watches or any third-party devices that log and connect to Apple’s Health app.
Participation is voluntary, and users will have the option to accept or decline each data point. For example, an iPhone user can agree to share their AirPod usage but opt out of sharing their heart rate metrics. Users can also stop participating at any time.
Apple wants to give users full transparency on who can access their health data. The Apple Health Study won’t store contact information or share sensitive data, according to the company.
