Hello, everyone!
I'm seeking some guidance on the App Store review process and technical best practices for a watchOS app.
My goal is to create an app that uses HealthKit to continuously monitor a user's heart rate in the background for sessions lasting between 30 minutes and 3 hours. This app would not be a fitness or workout tracker. My primary question is about the best way to achieve this reliably while staying within the App Store Review Guidelines.
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Is it advisable to use the WorkoutKit framework to start a custom, non-fitness "session" for the purpose of continuous background monitoring?
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Are there any other recommended APIs or frameworks for this kind of background data collection on watchOS that I should be aware of?
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What are the key review considerations I should be mindful of, particularly regarding Guideline 4.1 (Design) and the intended use of APIs?
My app's core functionality would require this kind of data for a beneficial purpose. I want to ensure my approach is technically sound and has the best chance of a successful review.
Any insights or advice from developers who have experience with similar use cases would be incredibly helpful!
Thank you!
In general, there is no way to continuously run a watchOS app in background for long time, if it doesn't have an active background session (such as workout, audio, or location). There is no way to directly access the heart rate sensor data on an Apple Watch either. You will need to go through HealthKit.
How background tasks and HealthKit work on watchOS was somehow discussed here and here. You can take a look if they help.
If your app is for research purpose, however, you can probably use SensorKit to access the heart rate sensor data. Access to those data types is limited to research uses and requires an app to have a private entitlement, which is reviewed separately for each study. See Accessing SensorKit Data for more info. You can also check if ResearchKit can help.
Best,
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Ziqiao Chen
Worldwide Developer Relations.