Last month I exclusively revealed iOS 10.1 was removing users’ Health data. Complaints hit social media and iOS health app developers warned not to upgrade.
Weighing in at just 70MB (size varies slightly depending on device), iOS 10.1.1 has no security patches and just a single line description: “This update fixes bugs including an issue where Health data could not be viewed for some users.”
And here’s the good news: once applied, the update not only allows your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to start tracking your Health activities again but it also restores all previously missing data. This is vital given that a number of users rely on Health for serious conditions. A notable example being one concerned Twitter user who contacted me to say they had lost diabetic and other data.
Consequently Apple deserves both praise and a reprimand in equal measure.
The company deserves praise because a fix has been released just five days after the original problem struck. It deserves a reprimand for leaving users in the dark over this period because Health is not like other apps.
For many users Health is not just important but essential to their day-to-day wellbeing. So by choosing to go into this sector, Apple has to step up to its greater responsibility here and users should have at least had updates over a) recognition of the fault, b) confirmation a fix was being worked on, and c) that the missing data was not lost and would be restored.
This isn’t Game Center. Leaving Health users in limbo is not okay.
Needless to say, this rule applies to any company offering users a platform which is designed to track essential health data (we’re not talking step counts here). Apple has set a fine example in dealing with its problem quickly, but I can only hope that it and others will learn from the subpar communication along the way...
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