One of the main rumors going into WWDC was that iOS 8 would include some kind of ‘Healthbook’ app for tracking your personal stats. In the end Apple did unveil a new app but it’s simply called Health, alongside something called HealthKit that developers can use.
Health app
The new Health app in iOS 8 will display vital statistics from other apps all in one place. This can be steps taken, heart rate, blood pressure, or sleep pattern. As a user you can then check on these in a single app rather than swapping between several of them. As Craig Federighi pointed out on stage “The information gathered by [health and fitness] applications lives in silos.” This helps to break down the walls and share the pertinent information.
The Health app gathers all details in one place
Apple also announced that it is working in partnership with Mayo Clinic, one of the largest non-profit organizations in healthcare. Mayo plans to release an app in September that will connect to its hospital system through HealthKit. The iPhone would then be able to tell if certain measurements were outside safe parameters and contact Mayo clinic directly.
The CEO of Mayo Clinic is impressed.
Apart from working with apps, the Health app can also show details from any wearables that you may use. Items such as the Fitbit flex can track your heart rate and sleep patterns before uploading the info to your iPhone. The Health app will then display this without you having to go through the Fitbit app first.
Check out more about iOS 8 here.