Your next Apple Watch or AirPods could have life-changing features thanks to this new initiative

Apple is exploring the connections between technology and health more deeply. On Wednesday, the tech giant launched the Apple Health Study, which explores how its iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and other third-party wearables can impact health advancements.

What is the Apple Health Study?

The study, conducted with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, examines the connection between mental health and heart rate, sleep and exercise, and more, according to the press release. 

Unlike clinical studies, which are confined by a limited number of participants, timeline, and data capture, the Apple Health Study utilizes a base of more than 350,000 participants and builds on other studies launched in the Research app.

Also: Your next Apple Watch or smart ring could have a feature that transforms healthcare

Wearable health technology, like the Apple Watch or Oura Ring, has improved in recent years. These products were once merely step counters and sleep trackers, but in recent years, brands have developed features within their smartwatches and smart rings that monitor and predict illness and provide data users can bring to their doctor for diagnosis.

Take the AirPods Pro 2, for example. The earbuds received FDA clearance to be used as hearing aids in 2024. In the comfort of their homes, people can now take a hearing loss test on their phone with the earbuds in, receive a diagnosis, and then bring that data to a doctor. 

That hearing loss feature, Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, told The Verge, came about from Apple’s Hearing Study. Other feature launches, like the Vitals app on the Apple Watch and Walking Steadiness on the iPhone, were made possible through the Research app’s launch.

Also: The best fitness trackers

If Apple’s Hearing Study made its hearing aid feature possible, then we can assume that the Apple Health Study could make features in its study areas — activity, cardiovascular health, menstrual health, metabolic health, and sleep, to name a few — possible in the future.

“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,” says the press release.

Also: Can the Oura Ring predict when you’re about to get sick?

Other wearable brands, like Oura, are already predicting and monitoring users’ health to forewarn them about illness or disease. Last year, Oura launched Symptom Radar, which informs users of strain and then encourages them to rest and recover when necessary. Other smart rings and watches have launched similar features.

How to join the Apple Health Study

The Apple Health Study is now available in the Research app for iOS users to participate in.

The launch of the Apple Health Study proves that Apple is continually competing and investing in the health space. We can expect further feature rollouts and improvements to the Apple Health app in the future.