Apple has launched a wide-range health study, and those in the U.S. can use their iPhone, Apple Watch and even AirPods to get involved.
The study is available for sign-ups in Apple’s Research app.
It’s a longitudinal study, meaning it will use data harvested from participants over time, and operates in co-operation with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
The study also has a much wider brief than some of Apple’s previous research projects, seemingly willing to touch on just about every area that could be studied using wearables and other mainstream consumer tech gadgets.
Apple says the study “spans a number of health and disease areas, including activity, aging, cardiovascular health, circulatory health, cognition, hearing, menstrual health, mental health, metabolic health, mobility, neurologic health, respiratory health, sleep, and more.” That’s a lot.
The core goal of the study is to help inform future product development, and look into ways consumer tech can, in the future, impact healthcare.
“When one aspect of a person’s health changes, their body can emit a signal, either physically or emotionally,” Apple writes in its release statement.
“For example, early detection of a change in hearing health could reduce the risk for cognitive decline.”
Apple has already gone big on hearing. In 2024, iOS 18 began letting people use their AirPod Pro 2 headphones as hearing aids, which cost just a small fraction of the amount of a higher-end dedicated pair.
The earphones can be used for a hearing test, and to work out a profile that works for the wearer. Early reports were largely positive too, mostly citing some unwanted noise/feedback and short battery life as the primary issues.
“The valuable insights we’ve gained since launching the Research app have allowed us to bring innovative new tools to our users — including the Vitals app on Apple Watch and Walking Steadiness on iPhone — and surface new insights in areas of health that have long been undervalued, like menstrual and hearing health,” says Sumbul Desai, vice president of Apple’s Health division.
Previous Apple studies have looked into hearing, women’s health, mobility and heart health. A trio of studies in these areas were announced in 2019.
In 2024, Apple announced preliminary findings from its hearing stuff, in regards to tinnitus. Stats revealed in its summer include that 78.5% per cent of sufferers experience the noise as a “pure tone” and 8.8% described it as very loud or “ultra loud.”
Apple’s initial insights from this super-wide-ranging new study are unlikely to come out for a few years, but those who want to get involved can do so today. You are also given the ability to leave the study whenever you want, and that those analysing data will not have access to any information that could be used to identify you.
