This week's update to HealthFace is the first since May. On the same day that the last update hit the App Store, I had a Twitter exchange with the developer, Quentin. As a result of this exchange, I became a regular user of the app.
The new views in HealthFace 2.0 for data entry and extension customisation
HealthFace is a health app for iPhone and Apple Watch. Version 1.0 was all about displaying data from Apple's Health app on the watch face of an Apple Watch via the complications feature. Version 2.0 came out earlier this week and turned the app into so much more. It's now my go-to app for inputting data into the Health database on my phone. Manually inputting data through the Health interface is clunky and unpleasant. HealthFace solves this.
The new Apple Watch input feature
My use of HealthFace begun by setting up a complication on the face of my Apple Watch to display a 7-day average of my Blood Glucose level. To this day, I have the same complication in the same spot on the same watch face on my Apple Watch. Around the same time, I began saving every BGL reading taken into the Health app on my iPhone. I have type 1 diabetes, and this information is useful at a glance to learn how well I've controlled my blood sugar for the last week. If HealthFace just offered custom complications, that would make it a good enough app to keep around. Over the last few months, I've excitedly watched it transform into something that takes it from a niche app and turns it into something for everyone - with or without an Apple Watch.
Using the Today Widget is a quick way to input data
Everyone has a health metric they need to track. For some, it's blood pressure, or volume of water consumed. For others, it's simply daily weight measurements. By keeping on top of these metrics, it keeps them front of mind, and can subconsciously encourage better habits. Every iPhone ships with the Health app which can serve as a fantastic collection of all kinds of health data. If there's a health-related metric you want to keep on top of, there's an excellent chance you can record that data in the Health app. HealthFace 2.0 enables easy entry of this data into your health database. You can enter it from the main iOS app, from a widget on iOS (meaning you can enter data when your phone is locked), and on the Apple Watch. I use all three methods depending on the situation I'm in, but I find input via Apple Watch particularly useful.
The input interface is unique yet intuitive
Above is an example of the custom input mechanism built into the iOS app. There's a stepper to increment the value, and also a touchpad which can be used to "slide" the values. It's faster and more intuitive than using the Health app to save data.
The app is fully customisable. You can choose types of data and set them as "favourites." These favourites then appear across the iOS app, widget, and watch app, or you can choose different types of data for each app extension. e.g. Blood glucose and blood pressure on the widget, but water intake and body temperature on the Apple Watch. Everything Quentin's added to this update aids the goal of quickly adding data to health.
Interestingly enough, the "Complications" tab - which used to be shown on the first launch - is in the fourth spot as of v2.0. This illustrates the focus of the app has changed with this update, emphasising the other features of the app.
New icons!
As a nice bonus, there are some new custom app icons. HealthFace is no longer an app for just people with an Apple Watch. It's an app for everyone with an iPhone. It's available on the App Store for A$2.99 (US$1.99).