Apple Invites Its Users Into Major Years-Long Health Study

Can the iPhone, AirPods, or the Apple Watch play a role in improving health? Apple says they want to find out.
'In medical research, discoveries are often limited by the number of participants who can be recruited, the amount of data that can be captured, and the duration of a given study,' the company said in a blog post this week. 'But Apple devices expand the possibilities...'
This new longitudinal, virtual study aims to understand how data from technology — including Apple and third-party devices — can be used to predict, detect, monitor, and manage changes in participants' health. Additionally, researchers will explore connections across different areas of health.
CNBC reports:

The new study will likely influence future product development. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously said he believes health features will be the company's 'most important contribution to mankind....'

The Apple Health Study will be available through the company's Research app, and participation is voluntary. Users will select each data type they are willing to share with researchers, and they can stop sharing or completely discontinue their participation at any time. Apple has no access to participants' identifiable information, the company said... The project will last at least five years and may expand beyond that.
A Harvard Medical School professor and cardiologist — also a principal investigator on the Apple Health Study — says 'We've only just begun to scratch the surface of how technology can improve our understanding of human health.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.