ResearchKit Now Available for iPad - MacRumors
Skip to Content

ResearchKit Now Available for iPad

by

ResearchKit iconApple has released an updated version of ResearchKit with iPad support and several other new features for developers. ResearchKit 1.1 includes improved slider support, new active tasks, bug fixes, style improvements and more, with some of the changes briefly discussed during Apple's recent What's New in Cocoa Touch session at WWDC this week. The full changelog is listed below.

Today we're happy to announce that we've tagged a new stable release of ResearchKit, version 1.1. This new version includes multiple significant contributions:

  • Audiometry active task (Shazino SAS)

  • Reaction time active task (James Cox)

  • Navigable Ordered Task (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez)

  • iPad support (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez, Bruce Duncan, and others)

  • Image Capture step (Bruce Duncan)

  • Improved slider support (various contributors)

  • Plus various bug fixes and style improvements

    Over the past few weeks these changes have had additional review for accessibility, and have been localized to all the languages iOS supports.

    • ResearchKit is a software framework that enables researchers and developers to create apps for iOS users to participate in medical studies. Given that ResearchKit is open source, many of the changes made in the latest version were contributed by third-party developers not employed by Apple. A commit list for the ResearchKit 1.1 update is available for developers on GitHub.

    (Thanks, Ricardo!)

    Tags: ResearchKit, ResearchKit 1.1

    Top Rated Comments

    rtonev Avatar
    rtonev
    147 months ago
    Bruce for someone with no app development experience whatsever - how do I get started with making Research Kit surveys for example ? And is there any developers forum specifically for Research Kit ?
    Stanford has a nice free iTunes course for iOS App Development. You can check that one out. Lynda.com also has nice videos. After you get familiar with apple stuff, you can take a look at Apple's github page for research kit:

    https://github.com/researchkit/researchkit

    They have examples there, including how to make surveys.
    Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
    R
    rsanchezsaez
    147 months ago
    @soundwave1337: I don't think Apple has plans to bring HealthKit nor the Health app to iPad. HealthKit is an optional component in ResearchKit: when coding an app that uses ResearchKit, on iPad you can't use the ResearchKit capabilities.

    I'm not sure if any of the five current ResearchKit apps that Joe mentioned will be natively brought to iPad. My guess is that not for now.
    Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
    Joe Rossignol Avatar
    Joe Rossignol
    147 months ago
    Does that mean that Health app is coming to iPad?
    More likely ResearchKit-based apps for iPad such as Asthma Health ('http://appshopper.com/medical/asthma-health-by-mount-sinai'), mPower ('http://appshopper.com/medical/parkinson-mpower-study-app'), GlucoSuccess ('http://appshopper.com/medical/glucosuccess'), Share the Journey ('http://appshopper.com/medical/share-the-journey') and MyHeart Counts ('http://appshopper.com/medical/myheart-counts'). They're all limited to iPhone right now.
    Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
    R
    rsanchezsaez
    147 months ago
    @krazifour: Not really. Some traditional in-person medical studies do pay volunteers, but this is not the case with the current ResearchKit app-based studies. I don't expect that to happen with future studies either.

    Why do you imply that?
    Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
    Read All Comments

    Popular Stories

    Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

    iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

    Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
    Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
    Read Full Article • 111 comments
    Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

    50 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27 - Out Now!

    Monday September 14, 2026 10:48 pm PDT by
    Apple released iOS 27 this week, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features to explore, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. Which iPhones Support Every iOS 27 Feature? This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though,...
    Read Full Article • 50 comments
    iOS 27 Icon iPhone

    iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

    Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
    Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
    Read Full Article • 111 comments