HealthKit is Apple's centralized health and fitness database that stores encrypted user data locally on devices. It allows apps to read and write standard health data types through the HealthKit framework. Developers must configure their apps with the proper HealthKit entitlements and privacy strings to access the data. HealthKit is available on iOS and WatchOS but not iPad. It stores three types of data - characteristic profile data, point-in-time samples, and source metadata. HealthKit provides classes like HKSample to represent different data types like categories, quantities, correlations, and workouts.

1. HealthKit
JUSTIN BERGEN
FIVE3 APPS

2. HEALTHKIT
WHAT IS HEALTHKIT?
▸ Apple’s answer to the many disparate health and fitness
platforms.
▸ Stores an encrypted, centralized database of health information.
▸ Local device only.
▸ Does backup on encrypted backups only.
▸ Available on iOS and WatchOS, but not available on iPad.
▸ Health app allows the user to manage data and privacy.

3. HEALTH APP
DEMO

4. HEALTHKIT
HEALTHKIT DATA
▸ Characteristic data - date of birth, blood type, etc.
▸ Apps cannot change.
▸ Sample data - Most health data.
▸ Point in time sample.
▸ Source data - Information about the data source.
▸ Stored as part of a sample.
▸ Deleted object - Temp object to pass UUID for deleted item

5. HEALTHKIT
HKObject / HKSample
▸ Source revision - information about who wrote the sample.
▸ Device - (optional) information about the hardware the
sample came from.
▸ Type - the type of health data in the sample (steps,
calories, etc).
▸ Cannot create custom types
▸ Start/End date - timeframe for the sample.

6. TEXT
HKSample Subclasses
▸ Category - data is a finite set of categories (ie sleep
analysis - awake, inBed, asleep)
▸ Quantity - data that is stored as numeric value.
▸ Value uses specific unit type. For example,
HKUnit.kilocalorie()
▸ Correlation - food or blood pressure.
▸ Workouts - physical activity that can have multiple sample
types.

7. HEALTHKIT
APP TARGET CONFIGURATION
▸ Configure HealthKit entitlement.
▸ (optional) Remove required device capability.
▸ Set info.plist with Privacy - Health Share Usage Description
(read), and Privacy - Health Update Usage Description
(write)
▸ Make sure HealthKit.framework is linked

8. ACTIVITY CHECK
DEMO

9. HEALTHKIT
WATCH DIFFERENCES
▸ Less data available.
▸ earliestPermittedSampleDate()
▸ No background handlers.
▸ Use background app refresh instead and query data.

10. HEALTHKIT
PRO TIPS
▸ You are not told if the user denied access to your app.
▸ Completion handlers can be called from non-main threads.
▸ If your app needs to run on iPad (not just Universal), then
remove HealthKit from required device capabilities

11. QUESTIONS

12. HEALTHKIT
RESOURCES
▸ HealthKit Framework Reference
https://developer.apple.com/reference/healthkit
▸ Activity Check Demo App Source
https://github.com/Five3Apps/HealthKitDemo
▸ Contact Me
http://five3apps.com/
justin@five3apps.com