UPDATED 22:58 EDT / MAY 09 2017

EMERGING TECH

Apple has acquired sleep tracker startup Beddit

Apple Inc. wants a slice of bedroom action. The iPhone maker has acquired Beddit.com Oy, a startup that makes a sleep sensor and accompanying iPhone app.

Founded in 2007 and based in Finland, Beddit’s Sleep Tracker allows users to measure how long they have slept through the use of a smart pad that is placed under a bed sheet and connected via Bluetooth to an iOS device for tracking. Along with tracking sleep patterns, the app also provides a gamified platform that scores sleeping patterns based on criteria such as resting heart rate, respiration, sleep cycles, snoring and more, so users can identify when they sleep well.

In addition to its own app, the Sleep Tracker can also sync with Apple HealthKit to provide additional data, including sleep analysis, heart rate and respiratory rate. They’re applied to user profiles that include data such as gender, date of birth, height and weight.

The acquisition was not officially announced. However, Beddit updated its privacy policy Monday on both on the Beddit website and in the Beddit app to reflect the change of ownership.

Apple has shown interest in sleep tools before, from the launch of a “Bedtime Clock” feature in iOS 10 to a report from CNBC that notes that the company hired sleep researcher Rob Raymann to its health team more than three years ago.

The Beddit acquisition expands Apple’s presence in the sleep health market. It delivers a product that could provide a challenge to rival smart device maker Fitbit, which rolled out a sleep tracking feature earlier this year.

Beddit had raised slightly over $500,000 in a crowdfunding campaign, followed by a single seed round of $3.5 million that was backed by Finnvera Venture Capital, Inventure Oy, Michael Widenius and Sami Inkinen.

Image: Beddit

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