Apple unveils Research app with heart and women’s health studies

Apple is today launching the Apple research app for iPhone and Apple Watch users interested in sharing their health data along with a series of studies with major health research organizations.

Apple also unveiled iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5, 7th generation iPad, game subscription service Arcade, and Apple TV+. The news was announced today in a presentation at Steve Jobs Theater at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Studies introduced today include:

• Apple Hearing Study to analyze the impact of extreme sound on long-term hearing health. The study will be compiled with the University of Michigan and World Health Organization.
• Apple Women's Health Study will look at how menstrual cycles can inform illnesses like osteoporosis. The study will be compiled with the Harvard School of Public Health and National Institutes of Health.
• Apple heart and Movement Study for tracking warning signs for heart health and ways to improve overall health. Study participants include the American Heart Association and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Created in 2017, Apple Heart Study for the tracking of irregular heart beats and atrial fibrillation included more than 400,000 people.

To give people the power to better track their own health, in June Apple introduced a series of changes including watchOS6 and a refreshed Health app in iOS 13.

The updated Health app for iOS 13 and watchOS6 uses machine learning to surface insights about a person's health and is now made to monitor environmental noise levels alongside health indicators like daily steps, heart rate, and sleep levels.

Cycle Tracking was also introduced in June for women to follow their menstrual cycles and know when they're ovulating.

Apple launched its electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring app for Apple Watch to track heart health in December 2018. Apple Watch Series 4 also introduced elevated heart rate detection and fall detection for older users.

To attract more Apple devotees, Google launched a standalone Google Fit app in April with Apple Watch support.

Apple's health team recently saw a string of departures reportedly due to a lack of ambition to tackle larger health problems in favor of features for a general population of users.