Apple has reportedly abandoned plans to launch a standalone AI-powered “personal health coach,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The strategic pivot follows a recent internal reorganization where Services Chief Eddy Cue took over the company’s health division.
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Unofficially dubbed “Health+,” the unannounced service was designed to act as a digital physician. Its goal was to provide high-level wellness guidance, including:
- Dietary Tracking: Analysing food intake via the iPhone.
- Form Correction: Using the camera to monitor and fix workout posture.
- Proactive Advice: Recommending lifestyle shifts based on biometric data.
Reports suggest that Apple had even produced professional video content for the service, ranging from training guides to explanations of complex medical conditions.
The decision to pull back was reportedly driven by Eddy Cue’s desire for Apple to be more aggressive in the health sector. With competitors like Oura already integrating advanced AI features into their ecosystems, Cue reportedly felt that the current “Health+” roadmap was not competitive enough to stand out in a crowded market.
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While the comprehensive “coaching” package is dead, the underlying technology is not. Apple plans to integrate individual features into the standard Health app incrementally:
- Feature Rollouts: Recommendation tools and the pre-produced medical videos are expected to arrive as early as this year.
- AI Wellness Chatbot: An interim chatbot is in development to answer general health queries.
- Future Siri Integration: Long-term, the goal is for Apple’s upcoming “Siri 2.0” to handle all health and wellness inquiries natively.
This shift suggests Apple is moving away from a subscription-model “coach” in favour of strengthening the core Health features that come standard with every iPhone.
