A little over a week after Apple delayed the launch of its much-buzzed HealthKit platform due to a bug, the first batch of HealthKit-enabled app are now available.
FitPort ($1.99) — which monitors health information and tracks steps taken, calories burned and other data— is among the first HealthKit-compatible apps listed in the Apple App Store, as first spotted by 9to5Mac.
Other HealthKit-integrated apps include WebMD, Yummly (for recipes and grocery shopping), MyFitnessPal and Carrot Fit — all of which require iOS 8.0.2 to access.
“Users of WebMD’s Healthy Target platform can connect directly with Apple’s Health app, sync biometric data (steps, weight, sleep, blood glucose, blood pressure) and receive contextually relevant content that helps them make sense of the data so that they can take steps toward their health and wellness goals,” a WebMD spokesperson told Mashable, adding the company just got the “greenlight to launch” on Friday afternoon.
The arrival is a part of the rollout of iOS 8.0.2. which fixed a series of issues found its first two versions.
One of the biggest new features of iOS 8 in general is HealthKit, marking the company’s first major step into the health and fitness space. While the company spent months calling on developers to connect their apps and its data to its hub, HealthKit-enabled apps weren’t in the Apple App Store until now. iOS 8 officially launched last Wednesday.
In fact, the Health app had been sitting empty on iOS 8 users Home screens without much information on what it was and how to use it. Now, users will be able to bring the platform to life by downloading apps that work alongside it.
The concept is similar to Apple’s Passbook app, the iPhone’s virtual pocket for things like airline boarding passes, movie tickets and coupons. It can pull in data from other third-party apps such as Nike to keep all your health-related information in one hub.
In addition to relying on developers to build apps for HealthKit, the company is reportedlyworking with healthcare providers at Mount Sinai Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins University and electronics health records provider AllScripts, too.
It announced in June it would be partnering with major organizations like the Mayo Clinic, allowing users to log information like blood pressure within the app.
More HealthKit-integrated apps are expected to launch in the near future, the report said.
Source: mashable.com