Apple Watch heart-rate tracking upgrade and Mulberry health-coach delay mark cautious health strategy

Apple’s upcoming watchOS 27 will refine heart-rate tracking, emphasizing stability and performance rather than new features. At the same time, the AI-driven health-coach Project Mulberry has been scaled back and will not appear until a later point in the iOS 27 release cycle.

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The wearables market is moving toward screenless devices that deliver passive health monitoring; Oura and Whoop have each built multibillion-dollar businesses around AI-driven coaching. Apple’s Watch, now over ten years old, remains a revenue pillar but faces competition from these minimalist offerings and Google’s Fitbit line. Internally, senior leaders have changed: COO Jeff Williams retired, VP of Watch marketing Stan Ng stepped down, and Kaiann Drance now oversees health, home and Watch product marketing. Engineering leader Zongjian Chen recently took charge of the non-invasive glucose-monitoring effort.

Apple Faces Growing Pressure in Health Wearables as Rivals Push Screenless Devices

• 2015 – Apple Watch launch.

AppleInsider

• Early 2025 – Project Mulberry announced for iOS 26.4 redesign.

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• Feb 2025 – Schedule shifted to iOS 27 after internal scaling back.

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• May 2026 – Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter reports watchOS 27 focus on stability and heart-rate tracking; Mulberry delayed to later iOS 27.

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• June 2026 – WWDC 2026 expected to ship watchOS 27.

AppleInsider

• Possible iOS 27.1 (Oct 2026) or iOS 27.4 (Spring 2027) for Mulberry launch.

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The heart-rate upgrade could sharpen the Watch’s fitness credibility and retain users who demand granular data. Delaying Mulberry postpones Apple’s entry into the AI health-coach market, where rivals already provide personalized guidance. Apple has said the pause ensures the service can compete with existing health-subscription offerings before launch. Critics note the Watch is becoming dated against screenless competitors and that the Health app remains cluttered, limiting actionable insights. Some observers warn that a refinement-first strategy may cede ground in the fast-moving AI health space.

Digital Trends

Sources differ on Mulberry’s launch window, citing iOS 27.1 in October 2026 or iOS 27.4 in spring 2027. Apple has not disclosed technical details of the heart-rate tracking improvement, leaving the magnitude of the upgrade uncertain.

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• “Improved heart-rate tracking This weekend’s Power On newsletter is light on details for how exactly Apple Watch heart-rate tracking will be improved, but here’s what Gurman has to say: This year’s watchOS 27 update will focus largely on stability, performance and smaller refinements, rather than introducing major new capabilities.” — Mark Gurman, Bloomberg reporter

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• “Now, it’s sounding like it may be delayed even further into the iOS 27 release cycle: One internal project, an ambitious AI health coaching service known as Mulberry, was recently scaled back after Cue took over Apple’s health group.” — Mark Gurman, Bloomberg reporter

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• “I don’t expect features from that endeavor to launch until later in the iOS 27 update cycle.” — Mark Gurman, Bloomberg reporter

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• “Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple will not launch its AI-powered health coaching service with the initial iOS 27 build.” — Mark Gurman, Bloomberg reporter

Big Apple Watch AI upgrade might not arrive with iOS 27

watchOS 27 is expected at WWDC 2026, delivering the heart-rate refinements. Apple may introduce Mulberry in a later iOS 27 point release, with iOS 27.1 or iOS 27.4 as likely windows. Ongoing leadership changes suggest further adjustments to Apple’s health-technology roadmap, including progress on the non-invasive glucose-monitoring project.

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