Apple and Singapore’s Health Promotion Board are set to jointly launch LumiHealth, a two-year initiative to encourage a healthy lifestyle, Apple announced on Tuesday. The program is part of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, which leverages technology to transform Singapore into a digital innovation-driven economy.
To participate in the program, users must have an Apple Watch and download the LumiHealth app from the App Store. Users can earn rewards worth up to SGD 380 (USD 280), such as vouchers, during the duration of the program, which starts in October. They will be guided through personalized tasks in the app, such as walking, swimming, and yoga, tailored based on age, gender, and weight. LumiHealth will also remind users to attend health screenings and immunizations.
Apple states that LumiHealth was created “with customer privacy and data security built into its design”. All data will be encrypted and stored in a “highly secure system that is fully compliant with Singapore’s data and privacy security laws,” the company said in the announcement.
Heng Swee Keat, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, said the initiative will help Singaporeans lead healthier lives. According to Apple’s statement, LumiHealth is the result of Singapore’s government actively seeking proposals from healthcare and tech companies for ideas on promoting health. Singapore has previously rolled out other programs aimed at encouraging healthy behavior, like Healthy 365, a health and diet tracking app.
“Even as all of us around the world are dealing with the challenges of COVID-19, we must keep investing in our future. And there is no better investment than in our own personal health,” Heng said.
Singapore has been actively using technology to improve lives in areas such as personal health, especially during COVID-19. On Monday, the government rolled out TraceTogether tokens, which use Bluetooth technology to encrypt data of nearby devices, to aid contact tracing efforts.