Apple is reducing its plans for a virtual health coach service as the company reassesses its approach to the wellness services market.
Bloomberg reports that Apple is scaling back plans for a virtual health coach service as part of an effort to rethink how the company approaches the huge market for wellness services. The initiative, code-named Mulberry, was wound down in recent weeks, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because the move was not made public.
The company now plans to take some of the features it had planned for the AI-powered offering and roll them out individually over time within its Health app. This strategic shift represents a significant change in direction for a project that Apple had spent years developing.
The decision followed a leadership change at Apple’s health organization. Services chief Eddy Cue took over the division after longtime executive Jeff Williams retired at the end of last year. This leadership transition appears to have prompted a reassessment of the company’s health services strategy.
Cue has told colleagues that Apple needs to move faster and be more competitive in health, according to the people familiar with the matter. He added that newer rivals, including Oura Health and Whoop offer more compelling and useful features, particularly through their iPhone apps. The longtime Apple executive reportedly did not think that the company’s existing plan for a new health service met that bar. He is also considering changes to Apple Fitness Plus, a $9.99 per month competitor to Peloton’s app that offers guided workouts.
Apple is facing tougher competition in the health-tracking market, with Samsung and fitness platforms like Strava gaining traction. OpenAI has also moved into the space, recently launching ChatGPT Health to analyze health data, answer questions and provide feedback.
Apple spent years developing the AI-powered service, referring to it internally as Health Plus. The company had previously aimed to introduce it with the iOS 26 operating system last year before delaying the launch until spring. It then postponed the debut again until the release of iOS 27, scheduled for September, before the change in plans occurred.
As part of other health efforts, Apple is working on an AI chatbot that would allow users to ask questions about their well-being. It draws on an internal system known as World Knowledge Answers, technology that is designed to rival Google’s Gemini-powered search results and apps like Perplexity.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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