Apple to Review Accuracy of Medical Apps

Apple is well-known for its strict control over its App Store. In comparison, Google Play gives developers much more leeway when submitting applications to its store. While Apple's walled garden approach does cause some minor grumbles from app developers, this technique has significantly reduced the number of malicious apps available in its store.

In its latest move, Apple is taking this concept a step farther. Instead of only reviewing apps for malicious activity and appropriate content, Apple will review medical apps' accuracy.

Recently, Apple began rejecting medical apps that listed drug dosages. While this initial move angered some medical app developers, it appears to be a precursor to a vetted review process to ensure that medical app data is accurate.

In particular, app developers have received rejection notices due to incomplete metadata. To get medical apps approved, developers will need to provide a source for the medical information used.

While there have been a few hangups in its validation process, Apple's new review system promises to improve the accuracy of medical app data. However, some still question if Apple will be able to accurately determine the validity of a source. While there are many online resources that provide peer-reviewed, high-accuracy data, Apple hasn't detailed how it will access the validity of a medical data source.