Apple Puts AI Health Coach On Hold, Rolls Mulberry Features into Health App

The delay follows internal discussions around speed, competitiveness, and execution, after successive postponements from iOS 26 to iOS 27 amid intensifying competition in digital health.

Tech giant Apple has delayed plans for its AI-powered virtual health coach, internally known as Mulberry, and has begun reworking the initiative by shifting several planned capabilities directly into the Health app.

Mulberry was initially expected to launch with iOS 19 and was designed to analyze data from iPhones, Apple Watches, and connected health accessories, using machine learning to generate insights on heart rate patterns, sleep cycles, and activity levels.

The delay follows internal discussions around speed, competitiveness, and execution, after successive postponements from iOS 26 to iOS 27 amid intensifying competition in digital health.

The decision further coincides with a leadership transition within Apple’s health division. Services chief Eddy Cue assumed oversight of the unit after longtime operations head Jeff Williams retired last year.

Cue has told colleagues that Apple needs to move faster and deliver more compelling health experiences, particularly as competitors such as Oura Health, Whoop, Samsung, Strava, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health continue to gain traction with AI-enabled insights and coaching tools.

The initiative, referred to internally as Health+, was designed to be Apple’s first comprehensive AI health coaching service. It was expected to combine user surveys, health assessments, Apple Watch data, and external lab reports to generate personalized wellness reports and recommendations.

While the broader service has been wound down in recent weeks, Apple now plans to repurpose parts of that work and introduce them incrementally within the Health app later this year.

As part of the project, Apple built a content studio in Oakland, California, to produce health education videos focused on medical conditions, wellness guidance, and training plans. Some of this video content, along with features that provide suggestions based on existing Health app data, is expected to be released individually.

Another capability still under development involves using the iPhone camera to analyze gait and walking patterns. Apple has steadily expanded device-based health features in recent years, including sleep-apnea detection and hypertension notification.

Apple is also continuing long-term research into a noninvasive glucose monitoring sensor, widely seen as a potential breakthrough for consumer health technology. In parallel, Apple is working on an AI chatbot that would allow users to ask questions about their health and well-being.

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