According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Facebook may integrate Oculus Move data with Apple Health, allowing users to transfer and track their VR fitness session data to external Apple devices.
The hypothetical feature was discovered by iOS developer Steve Moser and reported by Bloomberg. It would allow Quest users to sync or transfer fitness data captured by Oculus Move onto an iPhone, to be collected and viewed as part of the Apple Health app. Moser made the discovery in code from the Oculus iPhone app, indicating that Facebook is considering and potentially testing Apple Health integration internally.
The code discovered in the Oculus app is still no guarantee that the feature will make it to public release. However, the Apple Health app does have functionality that allows it to integrate with third-party hardware and software, so the precedent is there on Apple’s end. Integration with Oculus Quest would mean that any VR fitness data captured by Oculus Move, such as calories burned, could be viewed alongside and combined with fitness data captured from third-party or Apple devices, all contributing toward the same goals and statistics.
Facebook announced Oculus Move in September 2020, which allows Quest users to track the calories burned and their general fitness activity when using VR, either during fitness-focused sessions or just something more chilled out.
One of the key pieces of hardware in the Apple Health ecosystem is the Apple Watch. The smartwatch can track user activity and sync fitness data to an iPhone. According to the Verge, Facebook is also planning it’s own smartwatch with a display, two cameras, heart rate monitor and Facebook app integration. Facebook is also working on other wrist devices that provide high fidelity finger tracking and haptic feedback.
If you’re curious what working out in VR is all about, check out our list of the best fitness and exercise apps available now on Quest.
