Integrated health-focused features have always been one of Apple’s core beliefs, which ultimately ends up being its marketing cry as no other company has successfully brought these additions to a bevy of products the way the Cupertino firm has. Now, it appears that it wants to turn things up a notch, with a new report stating that it is working on a revamped version of the Health app that is codenamed ‘Mulberry’ and it will feature an AI agent that has been trained on data that should be accurate enough to replace your current medical professionals. Given the sensitive nature of this agent, Apple is said to be hiring various experts to develop content for this app.
New Health app featuring the AI agent is said to arrive next spring when the company officially launches iOS 19.4
The company’s plans were shared in the latest ‘Power On’ newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, with 9to5Mac reporting that the AI agent that will be a part of the Health app could replicate a real doctor. While that is a tall claim, the development to bring this feature to fruition is said to be CEO Tim Cook’s long-term vision of contributing immensely to health care. The AI agent will essentially act as a health coach, and it is said to debut in iOS 19.4 when the update drops in spring.
The new Health app will already have accumulated the necessary user data, with those metrics available in larger quantities if an Apple Watch comes into play. This data will then be fed to the health coach, who will provide recommendations. To eliminate or, at the very least, minimize incorrect medical advice being given to users, which is typically the case for AI-generated content, Apple intends to hire medical professionals to create videos for the Health app.
The report states that several individuals, including sleep experts, nutritionists, physical therapists, mental health experts, and cardiologists, will be hired to make this possible. All of these videos will supposedly be recorded in a facility stationed in Oakland. Furthermore, Apple is looking for a ‘major doctor personality’ to serve as a ‘host’ for the new service, which could internally be called Health+.
Keeping track of the food users consume will also be a massive focus for the Health app, but Apple has suffered some setbacks in the AI category, which not only forced it to delay the revamped version of Siri to 2026 but also unnecessarily overhyping these versions, resulting in a lawsuit that was previously said to be achieving class-action status. Since the health category is riskier, any advice resulting in a grim end for the user can be devastating for Apple’s image. We will learn more about these efforts in the coming weeks, as the feature is still months away, so stay tuned.
