Apple's new health service: What "Health+" should be able to do
Apple teams have been working on paid health services for some time now. These evaluations could be made possible by "Health+" from next year.
Apple Health app on iPad and iPhone: More services for money soon?
(Image: Apple)
Apple is planning to expand its range of services in the coming year. As the financial news agency Bloomberg reports, this time it is about health services. These were already reported on last spring and are now allegedly planned for next year. The possible name: "Apple Health+" – in reference to the previous health app Health.
Compensation for the Google deal
The aim of these and other new services is also to compensate for the potential loss of revenue from the search deal with Google. This involves around 20 billion US dollars a year, which is on the line due to antitrust proceedings by the US Department of Justice. Apple recently significantly increased prices for the Apple TV+ streaming service, which is part of the service portfolio, in the US, but initially refrained from doing so in Europe.
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Apple Health+ is now set to become a kind of AI doctor, although Apple does not want to venture into the "real" medical field – this is not possible due to the necessary approvals. Instead, "medical-related" services are to be offered. According to Bloomberg, an "AI-based health coach" is planned that will help plan nutritional intake and make recommendations based on existing health data. At the moment, Apple Health can, for example, warn users of irregular heart behavior, record and compare vital signs and offer sleep tracking.
Workout Buddy as a new fitness service
Apple recently presented a new function for Fitness+ called Workout Buddy, which is designed to provide direct feedback during training – based on data from the Apple Watch. The system is part of iOS 26 and watchOS 26, for which Apple uses a new text-to-speech model with "dynamic generative voices". They were developed based on the well-known Fitness+ trainers. "So their energy, style and tone match the workout."
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly emphasized that he considers the health sector to be the sector in which Apple can contribute the most. The company's dream still seems to be to turn the Apple Watch into a kind of "medical laboratory on the wrist". However, the development of new sensors has recently stalled – and the company is also battling bans in the USA due to possible patent infringements. Apple has been working on non-ivasive blood glucose monitoring for a long time. The Apple Watch should also be able to measure blood pressure promptly – at least changes in it. It is still unclear how much Apple Health+ will cost and what the exact range of functions will look like, which is likely to vary from region to region.
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