Apple's HealthKit faces setback after bug puts apps on hold

Apple's newest software update is now available for download, but one of its most highly anticipated features--at least for the healthcare industry--is not available.

The tech giant confirmed that a bug with HealthKit prevents it from making HealthKit apps available, according to an article in VentureBeat. In fact, the problem forced Apple to pull HealthKit-compatible apps from the Apple Store all together. The actual Health app that culls all the information into one place is functional.

This comes just a little over a week after CEO Tim Cook announced all the new features iOS8 would offer, as well as Apple's much anticipated watch. Details on what HealthKit would look like remained scarce during the event, with Cook at one point saying he did not have time to go into further detail on the feature.

Now health aficionados and hospitals will have to wait even longer to test it out.

Apple said in a statement that it is "working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month," according to VentureBeat.

The setback for Apple may impact when healthcare organizations can take advantage of the new feature. A pair of university-related hospitals, Stanford and Duke, have plans to put Apple's HealthKit offering to the test with a focus on improving patient care through streamlined processes.

Apple also has a partnership with the Mayo Clinic on HealthKit, and reportedly has talked with a number of other hospitals, including Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and the Cleveland Clinic. 

Developers on Twitter attributed the problems to data management issues on the HealthKit platform, according to VentureBeat.

In addition to this setback, there are also concerns in the industry surrounding privacy protections and HIPAA-complaince for HealthKit and Apple Watch.

To learn more:
- read the VentureBeat article