In 2019, Apple launched the U.S.-exclusive Research app.It was designed to let its users enroll in health studies that would help shape new health-related features for its devices, as well as contribute to medical investigations with impact far beyond Apple’s ecosystem.Six years later, the app is still going strong.
And if you live in the U.S.and would like to participate, here’s how to enroll.New features and real progress When Apple launched the Research app, it let users take part in three studies: The Apple Women’s Health Study, which helped develop the iPhone and Apple Watch Cycle Tracking feature, and let Harvard Chan School researchers “advance the scientific understanding around the relationship between persistently abnormal periods, polycystic ovary syndrome, and endometrial hyperplasia and cancer.”; The Apple Heart and Movement Study, which collected data for more than five years and, among other things, helped Apple develop the Walk Steadiness feature of the Apple Watch, and ”identified positive associations between the closure of Activity rings and aspects of sleep, heart health, and mental wellbeing”; The Apple Hearing Study, which, as you probably already guessed, was the basis for the AirPods Pro 2’s relatively recent Hearing Test feature, while also helping University of Michigan researchers dig deeper into the prevalence and impact of tinnitus in people’s lives.
The results of these studies and similar initiatives can be found in Apple’s Empowering people to live a healthier day PDF released in July 2002, and which is well worth a read.Studies live today Currently, the Women’s Health Study and the Hearing Study are still ongoing.And while the Heart and Movement Study has been closed, Apple announced recently the Apple Health Study, which, in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, will take a comprehensive approach to: How to enroll Currently, the app is still only available in the U.S., and as Apple explains it, you “must live in the United States and meet the minimum age requirement for your state.” Apple also says that “you should also be comfortable communicating in both written and spoken English.” If that’s you, here’s how to enroll: Open the Apple Research app and tap Studies.
Tap the study you’re interested in and review the expectations and participation requirements for a study.If you’re eligible, tap Get Started.From there, as Apple explains it, create your research profile and read and sign consent forms.
You might also want to review Sensor & Usage Data, as well as Health Data & Records, and make sure you agree with the privacy policy, but hey, given all the ways your data is already collected across the web, this seems like the best use of it.Apple also has a comprehensive participation guide that details how to continue participating if you switch devices, and even how to invite friends, so that might be worth checking out as well. You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.
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