Apple is scaling back its standalone AI health coach plans and will instead integrate AI health features into the Health app over time.

Rather than a single subscription, Apple will roll out individual tools as they become ready, including video content explaining medical conditions, gait analysis from the iPhone camera, and AI-driven suggestions based on Health data.

The AI-powered health coaching project, codenamed Mulberry, has been shut down as part of a broader rethink of Apple’s wellness strategy and the move away from a Health+ standalone subscription.

The standalone service had been delayed multiple times and was reportedly shelved due to internal code references and concerns that it would compete with rivals like Oura and Whoop.

The shutdown follows a leadership transition in Apple’s health division after Jeff Williams retired, with Services Chief Eddy Cue pushing for faster innovation and criticizing the pace of health software compared with rivals.

The AI-health sector is heating up, with competitors such as OpenAI introducing ChatGPT Health and various firms pursuing health-focused AI features.

Apple’s move comes amid competition from Samsung and fitness platforms like Strava, alongside OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health aimed at analyzing health data and providing feedback.

There is precedent for blended AI approaches in the market, as Samsung Health combines Samsung Gauss and Google Gemini, suggesting Apple’s strategy may follow an integrated, incremental rollout.

Apple recently announced a multi-year partnership with Google to base its next-generation Apple Foundation Models on Google Gemini, enabling future AI features including a more personalized Siri that could influence health-related AI capabilities.

The health initiative had been known as Mulberry or Health+ and underwent leadership changes after Eddy Cue took over the health division and Jeff Williams retired.