The app lets iPhone and Apple Watch users in the U.S. participate in three studies: one on the link between menstrual cycles and disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome; another on how heart-rate details could warn of illnesses like heart disease; and one that looks at how noise levels affect hearing. Apple is paying for the studies, which are all being done in partnership with different medical and academic institutions, like Harvard’s School of Public Health. (New York Times)

Talking point: Unlike typical clinical trials, which require patients to travel to medical centres to participate and that only gather results from them periodically, Apple’s venture will let researchers get a virtual look at hundreds of thousands of people living their everyday lives. It’s the tech company’s latest move into the US$3.5-trillion American health market, and it comes with concerns; for example, iPhone users have a higher median income than their Android-using counterparts, and data from the heart-rate study already shows less racial, gender and age representation among Apple Watch participants than the general population.