Tag: Health

Couple of notable features announced during Keynote and Platform State of the Union

by Danis Tazetdinov

First day of WWDC23 was packed with announcements. Here is a list of announcements captured by media.

Optic ID

Apple Vision Pro will have its own biometric authentication based on iris. iOS and iPadOS apps running on headset which use Face ID or Touch ID for authentication will automatically switch to Optic ID for seamless experience.

Siri

Siri now drops "Hey" part of activation phrase. Moreover, you can now do follow-up requests to speed up interaction.

Vision Pro

Apple to provide developers with Development Kit later this year.

Headset will have support for prescription lenses, not all prescriptions will be supported though.

Safari

Safari gains extensive support for web apps in macOS 14 Sonoma. Safari also brings support for spatial computing with <model> tag providing easy way of displaying 3D content alongside with web page.

Health

Follow up notifications to take medications are added. Mental health and vision control features are also built in. Device will now notify users if they're holding device too close to their face.

Various enhancements

  • Autocorrect and predictive text were significantly improved in iOS/iPadOS 17.
  • iPadOS 17 adds support to external webcams, not just those which are embedded into display.
  • AirTags now could be shared between multiple users.
  • Used SMS verification codes could be automatically removed.
  • App Store Review Guidelines now target fake and "bad" apps.
  • Optimized charging comes to more Apple Watch models.
  • Developers without paid membership now could install developer betas.
  • Stickers in Messages now could be created from photos.
  • Video conferencing features with presenter overlay would be available to different applications.
  • iOS Photos will recognize pets.

Apple Newsroom: Apple previews new features coming to Apple services this fall

References:

Spotify to use health data to improve playlists

by Danis Tazetdinov

Spotify is now working on Apple Health integration in their app to improve playlist quality. Spotify's approach is find songs that motivate users and improve their fitness results.

Using workout and health data might help improving communication with users and adjust features if app could affect user's workout performance or health in general (like, sleep, heart rate and so on).

Reference: Spotify working on HealthKit integration to provide workout playlists based on user health data

Apple releases iOS 16.0.3 and watchOS 9.0.2

by Danis Tazetdinov

Apple publishes bug fix releases for iOS and watchOS.

iOS 16.0.3 addresses multiple issues with iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, also Mail app crash. watchOS 9.0.2 fixes issues with audio streaming, Wallet and Health synchronization and some other issues.

References:

Apple highlights its health information efforts in new report

by Danis Tazetdinov

Apple published new report that focuses on role of iOS and watchOS ecosystem in helping users accessing their health information.

Report focuses on role of iPhone and Apple Watch in gathering and accessing health information. Report also highlights APIs available for third-party developers and opportunities to participate in health data exchange.

All health related applications and APIs are built with privacy-first principle and user is in full control on who has access to data.

Apple Newsroom: How Apple is empowering people with their health information

Report: Empowering people to live a healthier day (PDF)

Apple starts WWDC22 with many great announcements for developers

by Danis Tazetdinov

WWDC22 is here! Apple's annual conference started with Special Event day, Keynote, State of the Union and Apple Design Awards.

Apple Developer Center

It actually started on Sunday June 5th. Apple presented its new Apple Developer Center to public. Center provides an opportunity to development teams to participate in workshops hosted by Apple and meet Apple teams while working on interesting projects. Overall, Apple Developer Center brings Apple Store aesthetics to developer-focused venue.

Apple did not provide any announcements on how often it would invite developers to visit Developer Center, but general recommendation is to monitor for emails and news in Developer app.

Keynote

Before going into OS updates, let's mention Apple M2 announcement which is iterates over success of M1. New chip is presented in new MacBook Air with design following recent MacBook Pro principles. New MacBook Air is fan-less and provides full day battery life.

M2 MacBook Pro 13" is also announced with no body changes.

iOS 16

iOS 16 brings many new features including:

  • Personalizable Lock Screen with widgets based on WidgetKit;
  • Live Activities which extends notifications on Lock Screen with realtime updates;
  • Focus mode API for developers – Focus Filters;
  • Live Text API;
  • Shared With You API;
  • Collaboration API to allow easy collaboration start via Messages app;
  • Improvements in Apple Pay, Apple Pay Later, Apple Pay Order Tracking;
  • SharePlay in Messages;
  • Developer mode should now be explicitly enabled on devices to allow debugging or UI automation testing;
  • Simpler way of integrating Siri support – App Intents.

iPadOS 16

iPadOS gets more desktop-like features:

  • M1 iPads will now be able to use Stage Manager – display up to four applications per screen (totaling with 8 apps when connected to external display) at the same time, and resize app windows;
  • Finally iPad gets its own Weather app.

watchOS 9

watchOS 9 brings many features focused on fitness and health including:

  • AFib constant monitoring will help people to monitor their condition and check how their behavior affects it;
  • New monitoring features will help better understand the quality of the workouts and overall fitness progress.

macOS 13 Ventura

macOS also gets attention this year:

  • Continuity camera now allows using iPhone in video conferencing;
  • Also FaceTime calls could be handed off to Mac easily;
  • Stage Manager is here to help with window clutter.

Xcode 14

Xcode 14 focuses on developer performance and adds multiple useful features for developers. Xcode Previews were rebuilt and are expected to run more smoothly.

Frameworks

As always, many existing frameworks get important updates:

  • SwiftUI gets new charts library, new approach for navigation and navigation views;
  • Metal 3 focuses on performance for resources and shaders;
  • Nearby Communications (UWB) improvements;
  • MapKit brings Maps features including Look Around to third-party apps;
  • WeatherKit for weather apps;
  • And many more...

App Store Review Guidelines are updated

2.5.4: Deleted requirement that apps using location background mode include a reminder that doing so may dramatically decrease battery life.
4.2.3: Deleted requirement to include sufficient content in the binary for the app to function at launch.
4.7: Deleted restriction on lotteries or charitable donations in code that is not embedded in the binary.
5.2.5: If your app displays Apple Weather data, it should follow the attribution requirements provided in the WeatherKit documentation.
5.3.3: Deleted restriction on purchasing lottery or raffle tickets or initiating fund transfers in the app.

Apple Developer

New Human Interface Guidelines are published

New Apple Human Interface Guidelines are now unified across platforms, provide links to relevant talks and design resources.

Apple Newsroom:

Apple Developer:

New study puts Apple Watch Series 6 oxygen sensor on the same level as hospital equipment

by Danis Tazetdinov

Study conducted by University of São Paulo compared Apple Watch Series 6 with commercial oximeter devices. Results show that oxygen saturation and heart rate reported by Apple Watch are on par with typical industry devices.

Comparison of SpO2 and heart rate values on Apple Watch and conventional commercial oximeters devices in patients with lung disease

Our results indicate that Apple Watch 6 is a reliable way to obtain heart rate and SpO2 in patients with lung diseases under controlled conditions. The advance of smartwatch technology continues to improve and studies to assess accuracy and reliability in various types of disease should be carried out.

"Conclusion" section of the study