What you need to know
- Developers now have new guidelines for HealthKit.
- Guidance for using the Works with Apple Health Badge was also published.
- Apple revealed HealthKit in 2014.
On Monday, Apple revealed new guidelines for HealthKit for developers. The SDK allows app developers to integrate health-related insights to users by working with the Apple Health app. The updated HealthKit Human Interface Guidelines offer guidance on using the Apple Health icon in a third-party app, enhanced editorial guidance on using Apple Health-related terms, and clarifies privacy and data-usage guidelines.
The update also explains how app developers can now use the Works with Apple Health badge to promote HealthKit-enabled apps.
New HealthKit icon use guidelines state:
Use only the Apple-provided icon. Don't create your own Apple Health icon design or attempt to mimic any Apple-provided designs. Download the Apple Health app icon from Apple Design Resources.Display the name Apple Health close to the Apple Health icon. Displaying both elements near each other reminds people that the icon represents the Health app.Display the Apple Health icon consistently with other health-related app icons. In a view that contains other app icons, make the Apple Health icon no smaller than other icons.Don't use the Apple Health icon as a button. Use the icon only to indicate compatibility with the Health app.
Don't alter the appearance of the Apple Health icon. Don't mask the icon to change its corner radius or present it in a circular shape. Don't add embellishments like borders, color overlays, gradients, shadows, or other visual effects.Maintain a minimum clear space around the Apple Health icon of 1/10 of its height. Don't composite the icon onto another graphic element.Don't use the Apple Health icon within text or as a replacement for the terms Health, Apple Health, or HealthKit. See Editorial Guidelines to learn how to properly reference the Health app and HealthKit in text.Don't display Health app images or screenshots. Like all Apple imagery, these designs are copyrighted and shouldn't appear in your app or marketing materials. You can include an Activity ring element in your app to display Move, Exercise, and Stand progress; for guidance, see Activity Rings.
Under the new HealthKit editorial guidelines, Apple explains:
Refer to the Health app as Apple Health or the Apple Health app. In your app and marketing text, using Apple Health adds clarity.Don't use the term HealthKit. HealthKit is a developer-facing term that names the framework your app uses to access health data. If you need to explain to people how your app works with their data, use the term the Apple Health app. For example, you might say that your app "works with the Apple Health app" or "uses data from the Apple Health app."Use correct capitalization when using the term Apple Health. Apple Health is two words, with an uppercase A and uppercase H, followed by lowercase letters. You can display Apple Health entirely in uppercase only when you need to conform to an established typographic interface style, such as in an app that capitalizes all text.Use the system-provided translation of Health to avoid confusing people. It's best to refer to the Apple Health app using the translation that people view on their device.
With regards to the Works with Apple Health Badge, Apple has noted requirements for localization, artwork, background color, clear space, and more. There's also a section explaining the "Dos and Don't" for the badge.
HealthKit was first introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2014 alongside the iOS 8 reveal.
