Skip to main content

Getting to know iOS 8's Health app

By
Apple and its new Health app want you to use your iPhone to make you healthier.


ios8health.jpg
The Health app on iOS 8. Jason Cipriani/CNET
There's going to be a new icon on your iPhone's home screen after upgrading to iOS 8. The icon, white with a red heart floating toward the top of it, is for Apple's new Health app.
The app offers the ability for you to monitor your physical activity using the iPhone's motion sensors, enter your body measurements, and create an emergency medical ID. Outside of that, it would appear there's not much else to be done within the app. And until third-party developers and hardware manufacturers release updates for products, there's not a whole lot that can be done.
What the Health app is supposed to do, and eventually will, is aggregate all of your personal health information using different apps and fitness devices into one place. The result makes it easy for you to paint your entire health picture, without having to bounce among numerous apps and collect the data yourself.
As you add apps that either want to share or access information stored in the Health app, you'll be prompted to grant the app permission. For each type of data an app would like to access or share, you'll need to grant it access.
ios8healthapp.jpg
Screens from the Health app on iOS 8. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Dashboard

The Dashboard tab of the Health app is where you can pin the different data types you want to have quick access to. To pin something to the dashboard:
  • Select the Health Data tab
  • Then select a data type
  • Switch on Show in Dashboard
A card containing a graph for the corresponding data type will be placed on the Dashboard tab. Tap and drag the cards to rearrange them into your preferred order.

Sources

The Sources tab is where you can find the different apps or services currently streaming your health information into the Health app.

Medical ID

The last tab in the Health app is where you can enter your personal medical information to create a Medical ID. During the setup process you can enable access to your ID on the lock screen; something EMS workers will undoubtedly learn to look for in the near future. Otherwise, your Medical ID will be stored in the Health app in case of an emergency.
What's most appealing about Health on iOS 8 is that it allows you to buy whichever fitness product you want, instead of having to commit to an ecosystem (e.g., Fitbit or Jawbone). So long as the developers of the fitness trackers, scales, and other health-related accessories enable sharing of data with iOS 8's Health app, you can use the products that best fit you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

By
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact – Review Iterative products are just a way of life these days. We get a new slightly updated device every few months, sometimes every six months, sometimes even every year, Sony have mastered the iterative product cycle, releasing new products every six months ensuring they stay current. A manufacturer finds a new niche or use case and sometimes it’s a hit with the consumer, the Sony Z1 Compact was one such phone, for a while to buy a small compact Android device meant you’d have to compromise on specs, build quality and design. A few companies had tried something different but none had really made a success with them. Sony last year decided to offer a high spec device in a small chassis that would appeal to those people who wanted the latest flagship spec and high performance, but didn’t want a huge great 5″+ device that needed two hands to operate. This year they’ve gone...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nokia Lumia 830

By
Launched at IFA 2014 and available for just over a week now, here's my review of the new 'Nokia Lumia 830' - if you look very, very closely at the small print, there's mention of 'Microsoft Mobile' (expect future Lumias to have Microsoft much higher in the mix though). Billed as an 'affordable flagship', the 830 does get most of the way to fulfilling this claim, perhaps only falling short at the moment because the software that enables much of its main USP is currently missing in action. Even though I have gently taken the mickey out of Microsoft’s marketing tag line for this, the Nokia Lumia 830 - the 'affordable flagship' - I can see where the company was going here. In fact, Microsoft has made it really easy to analyse, in that the Lumia 930, the previous ‘flagship’, which I reviewed here on AAWP, is so similar in so many ways, and yet more restricted in some aspects. Have a look at this table of differences and you'll...
Post a Comment
Read more

25 HD Retina Wallpaper Collection of iPhone 6 Plus

By
  25 HD Retina Wallpaper Collection of iPhone 6 Plus The new Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have Amazing High resolution HD Retina Display which includes dual- domain pixels. Download best HD retina Cristal clear Display wallpapers for your iPhone 6 Plus. Here 25 gorgeous collections for eg. Nature wallpaper, Flower, Wooden background and iOS 8 officially home screen wallpapers. All the background wallpaper best fit for 4.7" iPhone 6 Screen and some are 5.5" 1920x1080 resolution 401PPI. So make your phone screen more beautiful with these wallpapers. To download just tap on a wallpaper and save image as .    
Post a Comment
Read more