The public launch of iOS 8 this morning was not a smooth one, it seems. Apple has confirmed it found a bug that affects the launch of HealthKit-integrated apps.
As first spotted by Financial Times, a just-discovered bug in Apple’s HealthKit, a major health and fitness-tracking feature in iOS 8 that pulls details about workouts, dieting, and other metrics from third-party apps and then displays that data in an easy-to-read dashboard, is preventing developers from releasing their own HealthKit apps on time. Apple has since confirmed the existence of the bug through a statement to Pocket-lint.
“We discovered a bug that prevents us from making HealthKit apps available on iOS 8 today,” an Apple spokesperson said. “We’re working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month.”
Several developers - such as Nike, MyFitnessPal, and Jawbone - have new apps or at least updates for existing apps in the works that will feature compatibility support for Apple HealthKit, and many of them were expected to launch alongside iOS 8 on 17 September. Some developers however discovered that Apple abruptly removed their apps from the App Store on Wednesday, just hours before iOS 8 rolled out.
It appears Apple found an unspecified HealthKit bug and has taken all precautions by preventing HealthKit apps from releasing alongside iOS 8, essentially leaving the developers behind those apps in the lurch. MyFitnessPal, for instance, told Financial Times: “Unfortunately, a bug has prevented our HealthKit [compatible] app from being available on iOS8 today. Teams are working quickly to update this issue."
MyFitnessPal emphasised that a version of its app without HealthKit integration will launch on the App Store "as soon as possible.” We've contacted Nike, Jawbone, and other app developers for comments and hope to update soon.
UPDATE: Runkeeper and Breeze will work with HealthKit on iOS 8, though "maybe not at launch", according to the team behind both apps. The team stressed that it would rather do an "implementation that makes sense and brings clear value to users than be first".
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