According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple Inc. is developing a new health coaching service powered by artificial intelligence (AI) called Quartz. The service will use data from the Apple Watch to suggest personalized coaching programs that will motivate users to exercise, eat healthily, and sleep better. Apple aims to enhance the app’s acceptance among healthcare environments where tablets have already established a presence. The company plans to launch the Quartz initiative next year, and it will have its own app.
In addition to the coaching service, Apple is also developing new features for its Health App, such as an emotion tracker that will allow users to log their moods and compare the results over time. Apple’s health initiative is aimed at enhancing the health and wellness of its users, rather than promoting the company. The Health App is essential to Apple’s health initiative, serving as a storage for fitness data gathered by the Apple Watch and external health records. It is also a channel for users to exchange information with their physicians.
Apple plans to expand its focus on health by introducing basic blood pressure monitoring to its watch in the coming years. Additionally, the company is developing non-invasive glucose monitoring technology that can measure blood sugar levels using sensors instead of finger pricks. The company aims to shrink this technology down to fit into a device the size of an iPhone and eventually into a future version of the Apple Watch.
Apple’s new in-house service is likely to carry a monthly fee, unlike LumiHealth, a Singapore-based wellness and coaching service launched by Apple in 2020 in partnership with the Singapore government. LumiHealth paid out monetary awards to users who stayed healthy. Besides the coaching service, Apple is planning to release an iPad version of the Health App, enabling users to view electrocardiogram findings and other health information in a larger layout.