2 days Ago
Apple is working on a significant upgrade to the company’s health features for users, according to a new report. Well, CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly said health will be the company’s biggest legacy. Here’s what’s thought to be on its way.
Apple is to revamp the iPhone Health app, it's reported. The report comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter . “The initiative is called Project Mulberry, and it involves a completely revamped Health app plus a health coach.
The service would be powered by a new AI agent that would replicate—at least to some extent—a real doctor,” Gurman says. Although it’s been going for some time, it’s now “full steam ahead, with a release due as early as iOS 19.4.
That update is scheduled for spring or summer of next year,” Gurman says. The timing of iOS 19.4 seems right—after all, this year’s equivalent in the cycle, iOS 18.
4, is almost certain to land in a matter of hours. Full details here . It seems that Apple is planning to do one of the things it does best: integrating its hardware, software and services to make the most of the data it can access, with user permission.
“The idea is this: The Health app will continue to collect data from your devices (whether that’s the iPhone, Apple Watch, earbuds or third-party products), and then the AI coach will use that information to offer tailor-made recommendations about ways to improve health,” Gurman explains. And this could mean Apple using Apple Intelligence as part of this. “The company is currently training the AI agent with data from physicians that it has on staff.
Apple is also looking to bring in outside doctors, including experts in sleep, nutrition, physical therapy, mental health and cardiology, to create videos. That content would serve as explainers to users about certain conditions and how to make lifestyle improvements. For instance, if the Health app receives data about poor heart-rate trends, a video explaining the risks of heart disease could appear,” he says.
This sounds like the classic Apple play, to build on a well-respected app that’s known for its accessibility, to add more features and capabilities. Apparently, Apple is looking for a “major doctor personality” to act as a host. And it sounds like there will be a charge for this as some are calling it Health+.
There’s a lot of potential here, with references to food tracking, nutrition features from the AI agent and using the camera to study users’ workouts and offer advice. When will we see this? “The work is a top priority — and almost the entire focus currently — of Apple’s health group,” Gurman concludes, so that may mean we hear something about it in the coming weeks, at this year’s WWDC in June as part of its iOS 19 reveal..
