Apple is expanding its push into health and wellness features as part of iOS 17 and beyond, according to a new report from Bloomberg. With iPadOS 17 this year, the report says Apple will release an iPad version of the Health app for the first time. The Health app will also reportedly add new features for “tracking emotion and managing vision conditions” this year.
For next year, Apple is also reportedly working on an “artificial intelligence-powered health coaching service” as well as “new technology for tracking emotions.”
In the near future, Apple is planning an expansion of its existing Health app platform. Today’s report says that the Health app will come to the iPad this year as part of iPadOS 17. The Health app on iPhone and iPad will also include new features for managing vision conditions and emotions this year.
As for the new Apple journaling app that was reported last week by the Wall Street Journal, today’s report from Bloomberg says that the mood and emotion tracking features coming to Health are separate features. The report describes the journaling app as “an extension of the company’s Find My service and other location features.”
In the future, Apple hopes to also tap into more advanced technology to “determine a user’s mood via their speech” and other information.
The hope is that an iPad version will boost the app’s popularity in health-care settings, where tablets have already made inroads. The app is central to the company’s health efforts, serving as a repository for fitness data collected by the Apple Watch and outside health records. It also serves as a portal for users to share information with their doctors.
The tools for tracking emotion and managing vision conditions, such as nearsightedness, will be added to the health app this year. 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.
Looking further into the future, Apple is developing a new AI-powered health and wellness coaching feature under the codename “Quartz,” Bloomberg reports.
The goal is to “keep users motivated to exercise, improve eating habits and help them sleep better.” The platform will use a combination of artificial intelligence and Apple Watch data to give users suggestions on lifestyle changes that will help improve their overall health and wellness.
The new coaching platform isn’t expected to be included in iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 this year. It’s currently planned for next year, “but could ultimately be canceled or postponed.”
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