With iOS 8 officially downloading to existing devices today, enthusiasm for Apple’s central health system has been dampened by last-minute bugs that will push the arrival of compatible apps into late September.
The Wall Street Journal today reported that Apple had problems launching its new HealthKit initiative alongside the release of iOS 8 on Wednesday, but engineers in Cupertino are “working quickly” to fix the issue with the next software update.
HealthKit was unveiled at WWDC 2014 earlier this year, where Apple hailed the software as a central repository for a user’s health and fitness data, which could be accessed (with permission) by doctors, third-party app developers, and hospitals.
“We discovered a bug that prevents us from making HealthKit apps available on iOS 8 today,” Apple confirmed in a statement. “We’re working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month.”
One significant spoke in the HealthKit wheel is the built-in Health app, which appears not to have been affected by the bug and now appears on any device updated to iOS 8. Using the Health app, users can track their weight, caffeine intake, and other data, although existing software is limited by the absence of third-party apps that tie directly into it.
For now, the delay means device owners on iOS 8 will have fewer options for collecting health data using connected wearables or other sensors, outside of those already built into the iPhone and its motion coprocessor.
HealthKit isn’t the only missing functionality marring today’s iOS 8 release: While iCloud Drive is available, turning the feature on eliminates the possibility of syncing iCloud data with the current version of OS X Mavericks; instead, Apple requires OS X Yosemite, which is expected to be released next month.
The long-awaited iCloud Photo Library is also available, but only as a beta, meaning users may or may not run across bugs or other glitches between now and the time Apple finally drops the beta tag.
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