GoKawiilLast week at Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event, Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s VP of Health and Fitness, announced the redesigned Health app and its fresh features. Between the new Insights tab with Apple Intelligence-powered suggestions, a Longevity tab that shows your Health Age, a readiness score, movement assessments, a blood panel and curated doctor videos, my head was swimming with questions. The following day, I sat down for a video chat with Desai for deeper insight into Apple’s reimagined health platform.
On Wednesday, the new Health app debuted in the first developer beta of iOS 27.2. Some announced features will be available in later betas, including personalized summaries under the Insights tab, personalized recommendations and the ability to order a blood panel from Quest Diagnostics.
“Features will roll out progressively,” Apple said in an email. “Feedback during the beta period will help us continue refining it ahead of the public release in late 2026.”
Here’s everything you can expect to uncover in the Health app and the features you shouldn’t sleep on.
From data spreadsheet to intelligent experience
Launched in 2014, the Health app was initially intended to be like a spreadsheet, with data flowing in, Desai explained. However, the team realized they wanted more from the app, so it evolved over the past 12 years into what Desai now calls “an experience.”
Those at the helm of the Health app’s 2026 makeover considered how to leverage Apple’s machine learning and AI to help people live healthier, while also personalizing the app’s recommendations and turning it into an intelligent hub, not unlike the iPhone itself. For instance, as you open the app and move through your day, different screens appear to reflect your health status.
Movement assessments have also been added to provide an even more complete picture of a user’s health and track progress or decline. Desai described them as a “mini physical” you can complete at home.
All assessments under the app’s Longevity tab are science-based and contribute to a rainbow-petal visual that illuminates your state of health. Some assessments rely on vision-based AI models that integrate the phone’s camera, marking the first time Apple has used the camera for health.
The current iteration of the Health app is just the beginning and was designed to set in motion the next era of the team’s work in health and fitness, as Desai said those working on the app still feel they have more to do.
... continue reading