Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld reports that iOS 26.4 beta code includes references to “Health Coaching” and “Health Plans,” suggesting that Apple’s AI health coach project may still be in development.
- These code snippets suggest that Apple hasn’t abandoned its planned Health+ subscription service, which would offer personalized health recommendations using Apple Watch and Health app data.
- The discovery is in line with Apple’s broader AI strategy and could leverage the company’s strong health ecosystem advantage over competitors.
Apple has long been rumored to be rolling out a new service known as “Apple Health+,” but a recent report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that the company may have scrapped the idea. But it turns out that iOS 26.4 suggests that the story is not over yet.
The first developer beta of iOS 26.4, released this week, includes references to “Health Coaching” and “Health Plans” in the code. While there’s no user functionality yet, the terminology strongly matches previous reports that Apple is working on an AI-driven health subscription service.
Apple’s rumored AI Health Coach hinted at in iOS 26.4 beta
Last fall, Gurman announced that Apple was developing a paid “Health+” subscription service that would include an AI health coach designed to offer personalized recommendations based on data collected by the Health app and the Apple Watch.
However, Gurman recently reported that Apple has scaled back plans to launch the feature as originally intended, and may be scrapping core parts of the service and merging other parts into the existing Health app.
But why are these references in the iOS 26.4 code if Apple supposedly scrapped the idea? There are two likely explanations.
The iOS 26.4 beta contains references to Apple’s health coach, which was once rumored to arrive this year.
Foundry
The first is the easiest: these strings can just be code remnants that haven’t been deleted. Apple often experiments with features internally, and it’s not uncommon for abandoned projects to leave traces in early beta versions. If the company did indeed decide to shelve its new project, these references in the iOS 26.4 code could simply be remnants of what would be Apple Health+.
But it’s just as possible that Apple hasn’t completely abandoned the idea. The company may have simply shelved it while it continues to work on more pressing features, including the new Siri. The presence of “Health Coaching” and “Health Plans” in the current beta suggests that some level of development has continued, at least at an outline level.
An internal build of iOS 26 seen by Macworld already included references to an updated Health app. Maybe the feature was delayed until iOS 26.5 or even iOS 27.
There’s still a chance for Apple Health+
Regardless of whether Apple has canceled Health+ or not, what we found in the iOS 26.4 beta is noteworthy because it basically confirms that the AI Health Coach project existed at some point. Rumors can sometimes sound abstract, but they gain popularity when they are confirmed by Apple’s own code.
Given Apple’s broader AI push on devices and Apple Intelligence features across iOS 26, a health-focused AI assistant would make strategic sense. Health data is one of the strongest assets of Apple’s ecosystem, especially in conjunction with the Apple Watch.
Whether “Health Coaching” will become a paid subscription, a built-in feature, or something else entirely remains to be seen.