Health

Apple and Johnson & Johnson are teaming up to conduct a new health study to determine if the iPhone and Apple Watch can reduce the risk of stroke. The study is made possible through a new Heartline app for the iPhone that combines data from the Apple Watch ECG app.

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Apple Watch users will soon see an alert for an upcoming Activity Challenge set for next month. The almost annual ‘Ring in the New Year’ challenge will kick off in January, marking the first Apple Watch promotion of 2020. That’s almost annual because Apple did not push a similar challenge for 2019, an outlier since starting the tradition three years earlier.

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Apple Watch users will soon be able to share heart rate data with Orangetheory Fitness machines without using a separate dedicated heart rate monitor. The popular fitness club unveiled its new OTbeat Link accessory today for using the Apple Watch to track heart rate data during workouts.

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Apple Watch irregular heartbeat detection and the ECG app are being credited with helping save the life of a British father of two. A simple notification on the watch led the 30-year-old to seek answers at the hospital.

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Polar is expanding its packed lineup of sport watches with a new mid-priced entry called Ignite. The new $229.95 GPS fitness watch introduces new sleep analytics and fitness guidance features not yet built-in to the Apple Watch and new to Polar.

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Beddit, the sleep tracking company that Apple bought two years ago, is launching a new beta program to allow customers to test and offer feedback on new features before release. The new Beddit Beta Program is free for participants who enroll, but there are a few requirements for participation.

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The Activbody Activ5 is a portable fitness device that helps track your progress with isometric workouts. With HealthKit integration and a companion Watch app in mind, Apple is now selling the accessory at its US retail and online stores.

Unlike a typical workout like running or weightlifting, isometric sets are static — you don’t move. They involve applying pressure against your own body, holding the position and maintaining the intensity of your strength pushing against yourself.

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Apple has purchased a small California-based startup called Tueo Health, CNBC reports. The health-focused company further expands Apple’s medical-related portfolio. Here’s how the firm described their mission prior to joining Apple:

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The AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L provides a six-lead ECG reading from a tiny device that connects via Bluetooth to your iPhone or Android smartphone.

While the Apple Watch provides a 1-lead ECG, which is enough to detect AFib, the KardiaMobile 6L can take a six-lead ECG to detect a wider range of conditions and provide a doctor with more detailed information …

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Update: Our sources suggest that, while there is no way to know for sure, it is possible that the developers are simply using app analytics services offered by Facebook and Google. That would see data being sent to servers owned by the respective companies, but wouldn’t make any of it available for advertising.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has found that most free apps designed to help people quit smoking, or cope with depression, are sharing data with Facebook or Google – and only a third of them properly disclosed that fact in privacy policies …

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