Apple is developing an AI-powered health coaching service codenamed Quartz, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The tech giant is reportedly also working on technology for tracking emotions, and plans to roll out an iPad version of the iPhone health app this year.
The AI-powered health coaching service is designed to help users stay motivated to exercise, improve their eating habits and sleep better. The idea behind the service is to use AI and information from a user’s Apple Watch to develop coaching programs specially tailored for them. As with Apple’s other services, the health coaching service is expected to have a monthly fee.
Several teams at Apple are reportedly working on the project, including the company’s health, Siri and AI teams. Gurman writes that the service is planned for next year, but notes that it could be postponed or shelved altogether.
In addition, the report says Apple’s health app will be getting tools for tracking emotions and managing vision conditions, such as nearsightedness. The launch version of the emotion tracker will allow users to log their mood, answer questions about their day and compare their results over time. In the future, Apple reportedly hopes the mood tracker will be able to use algorithms to understand a user’s mood based on their speech, text and other data.
As for the new iPad Health app, Gurman writes that Apple is going to unveil it at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. The launch of the app will allow users to see their health data, such as electrocardiogram results, on a larger screen. The new app is expected to be included in iPadOS 17, which is expected to launch later this year.
As noted by Gurman, Apple began its health efforts back in 2014 when it launched the dedicated Health app and then launched the Apple Watch a year later. Since then, Apple has added several health features to its smartwatch, including fall detection and sleep tracking.
The company’s upcoming mixed-reality headset is said to expand on the company’s current health efforts, as it will reportedly include a feature that will allow users to meditate while wearing the device. Apple is expected to unveil the headset at WWDC.
Apple is also planning to expand its health features by introducing a basic form of blood-pressure monitoring to the Apple Watch in the next few years, as previously reported by Bloomberg. Although the feature isn’t expected to display exact diastolic and systolic numbers, it will notify users if they may have hypertension.
In addition, the company is working on noninvasive glucose monitoring technology that would rely on sensors as opposed to finger pricks when it comes to taking a blood-sugar reading. Apple is reportedly working to put the technology into a small device, but eventually aims to add the technology to its Apple Watch.
