iOS 17 Features Leak: Health Coaching Service and Mood Tracker in the Works

Image: Apple website

Summary:

• Quartz, an AI-powered health coaching service, is being developed by Apple.
• Unlike LumiHealth, which offered monetary rewards for staying healthy, Quartz will have a monthly fee.
• The project is driven by Apple’s health, Siri, and AI teams, as well as its services division, and is planned for next year.

Apple is developing an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered health coaching service, code-named Quartz, and new technology for tracking emotions, as part of a broader push to solidify its position in the health and wellness market, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

People with knowledge of the project have revealed that Quartz aims to encourage users to exercise, enhance their dietary habits, and assist in improving sleep quality. To achieve this, the service will leverage artificial intelligence and data collected from the Apple Watch to develop customized coaching plans for each individual.

The Quartz project bears similarities to LumiHealth, a wellness and coaching platform introduced by Apple in collaboration with the Singapore government in 2020. In contrast to the Singapore-based program, which provided financial incentives for maintaining good health, Apple’s upcoming in-house service will require a monthly subscription.

Expected to launch next year, the initiative is being spearheaded by Apple’s health, Siri, and AI departments, along with its services division, say sources.

As part of its health push, Apple also plans to expand its Health app to the iPad—finally—and introduce features to help users with poor vision. An iPad version of the Health app means access to vital data on a larger screen.

Emotion-tracking tools and vision management features will be added to the Health app this year, such as nearsightedness.

“The initial version of the emotion tracker will let users log their mood, answer questions about their day and compare the results over time. But in the future, Apple is hoping the iPhone could use algorithms to determine a user’s mood via their speech, what words they’ve typed and other data on their devices,” writes Gurman.

Apple hopes that future iPhones could use algorithms to determine a user’s mood through their speech, typed words, and other data on their devices.

Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset, set to debut in June, will also incorporate health and wellness features. Users will be able to meditate while wearing the device, and an optimized version of Apple’s Fitness+ workout service is in development.

Apple’s health strategy, which began with a dedicated app in 2014 and rapidly expanded with the Apple Watch, includes features for taking EKGs, analyzing atrial fibrillation, fall detection, and sleep tracking. The mood- and emotion-tracking features will be separate from a new journaling app that Apple is planning for this year, which is intended as an extension of the company’s Find My service and other location features.