Apple's 'Health' App Gains Ability to Track Steps With M7 Motion Coprocessor in New iOS 8 BetaiOS 8 beta 3, which was
released to developers earlier today, allows Apple's
Health app to access the
iPhone's M7 motion coprocessor, letting the app natively track movement like steps taken.
Available in newer devices like the iPhone 5s, the iPad Air, and the Retina iPad mini, the M7 "motion coprocessor" functions alongside the A7 chip in those devices, measuring accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass data for enhanced fitness tracking capabilities.
As noted by
9to5Mac the
Health app's "Steps" section now tallies the number of steps a user has taken as measured by the iPhone 5s. Users accessing the
Health app today will be able to access a full week's worth of data on their devices.
The M7 has been leveraged by several third-party app developers,
such as Nike and
Strava, but this is the first time the data has been made available directly via Apple's own
Health app and it is also the first real data the
Health app is able to display.
<center>The new Steps and Caffeine options in Health, with image on the left provided by a MacRumors forum user.</center> Along with M7 integration, the
Health app also has a new "Caffeine" section in the Nutrition portion of the Health Data tab. This appears to track how much caffeine is consumed and will likely integrate with
third-party caffeine tracking apps such as
UP Coffee from Jawbone, which lets users track the amount of coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages that are consumed on a daily basis.
At the current point in time, the
Health app is rather limited, but by the time iOS 8 is released, dozens of device manufacturers and app developers will likely have built HealthKit into their apps, allowing the
Health app to aggregate data from multiple sources into one easy-to-access spot.
Health is also rumored to be heavily tied to Apple's upcoming
health-tracking wearable device, the iWatch.
As described by Apple,
Health aims to be a one-stop dashboard for health and fitness data, tracking metrics measured by various devices and apps, including heart rate, food consumed, cholesterol, sleep quality, and more. Apple's
iOS 8 Health page says "It might just be the beginning of a health revolution."
iOS 8 is currently available only to registered developers and will likely be released to the public in the fall, after several more beta iterations to refine the look and feel of the operating system.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories •
Target Offering Gift Cards Up to $100 With Purchase of iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch •
iOS and OS X Calendar Glitch Pulls Holiday Data From Wrong Countries •
Quirky Updates 'Wink' App to Support Smart Products from Dropcam, GE, Philips, and More •
Korean Government Orders Apple and Google to Change 'No-Refund' App Store Policies •
'Range' iOS Food Thermometer Launches New Bluetooth LE Version on Kickstarter •
Buyer's Guide: 4th of July Discounts on iMac, MacBook Air, Apps, Accessories, and More •
2.5-Inch iWatch Concept With Curved, Rectangular Display Demoed in New Video •
Mophie Adds 64 GB 'Space Pack' to Battery Case Lineup<img width='1' height='1' src='
http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/35070/f/648327/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br clear='all'/>
<a href="
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/rc/1/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<a href="
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/rc/2/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<a href="
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/rc/3/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/a2.img" border="0"/>[/url]<img width="1" height="1" src="
http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199107789787/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/3c43b2a8/sc/5/a2t.img" border="0"/><div class="feedflare">
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=6W8y8wAjSf4" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img>[/url]
</div><img src="
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MacRumors-Front/~4/oNTL02enLo8" height="1" width="1"/>
Source:
Apple's 'Health' App Gains Ability to Track Steps With M7 Motion Coprocessor in New iOS 8 Beta
