Apple’s long-rumoured push into an AI-powered virtual health coach appears to be hitting the brakes.
According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has scaled back its plans for a dedicated AI-based health coaching service, internally known as Project Mulberry (and Project Quartz before that). Rather than launching a standalone, full-featured “AI doctor” experience, Apple is now planning to roll out select features piecemeal inside the existing Health app over time.
Gurman reports the shift comes as Apple rethinks its broader wellness strategy amid intensifying competition. Wearable-focused rivals like Oura and Whoop have been moving faster with more actionable insights and coaching features, largely delivered through their iPhone apps. Meanwhile, platforms like Samsung Health, Strava, and even OpenAI’s newly launched ChatGPT Health are raising the bar for AI-driven health guidance.
Mulberry had been years in the making and was at one point expected to debut alongside iOS 26, before slipping to iOS 27. The goal was ambitious: generate detailed health reports, combine Apple Watch data with lab results, and deliver personalized AI-driven recommendations to help users actively improve their well-being. Apple even built a dedicated content studio in Oakland to produce educational health videos tied to the service.
Image: Apple
That vision hasn’t disappeared entirely. Bloomberg notes Apple will repurpose some of the video content and capabilities — including suggestions based on existing Health app data — as early as this year. Features like gait analysis using the iPhone’s camera are also still in development.
The pullback follows a leadership change inside Apple. Eddy Cue took over the company’s health efforts last fall after Jeff Williams retired, folding Health and Fitness deeper into the Services division. According to Gurman, Cue has been pushing for faster execution and more competitive offerings, signalling a shift in how Apple plans to monetize wellness long term.
Ironically, Apple is simultaneously opening the door to third-party AI in health, including with deeper Apple Health integrations with ChatGPT. The company still plans to let users ask health-related questions through its next-generation AI-enhanced Siri chatbot arriving with iOS 27, which Apple recently confirmed will be powered by Google’s Gemini.
So while Apple’s “AI doctor” isn’t launching as originally envisioned, the company’s health ambitions are far from over — they’re just being reassembled in a more incremental, services-driven way.
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