Apple is poised to make its most significant push into healthcare with Project Mulberry, an ambitious initiative to transform its Health app into an AI-powered medical assistant platform.
According to multiple reports, the revamped Health app will incorporate an AI chatbot that functions as a virtual health coach, analyzing data collected from Apple devices such as iPhones, Apple Watches, and earbuds to provide personalized health recommendations. This AI agent is being trained with data from Apple's in-house physicians and will be capable of offering guidance that partially replicates advice from a real doctor.
The system will focus heavily on preventative health, offering users insights about their fitness, nutrition, sleep patterns, and overall wellness based on their personal health metrics. Apple is reportedly building a facility near Oakland, California, where outside medical experts in fields like sleep, nutrition, physical therapy, mental health, and cardiology will create educational videos that appear when relevant to a user's health data.
While some industry insiders have referred to the service as 'Health+', suggesting it might become part of Apple's subscription offerings, the company has remained officially silent about the project. Development is reportedly in full swing, with a possible preview at WWDC on June 9, 2025, though the public release isn't expected until iOS 19.4 launches in spring or summer 2026.
The initiative aligns with CEO Tim Cook's stated belief that healthcare will ultimately be viewed as Apple's greatest contribution to mankind. By leveraging its ecosystem of devices and sensors, Apple aims to shift from passive health data collection to proactive health management, potentially positioning itself as a major player in the rapidly growing AI healthcare market that could reach hundreds of billions of dollars by the early 2030s.
Project Mulberry represents a significant evolution from an earlier initiative called Project Quartz, which focused on more basic health coaching. The new AI-powered system will offer more comprehensive guidance, including workout form analysis using device cameras and detailed nutritional advice based on food tracking data.