Apple Watch may soon get smarter heart-rate tracking with watchOS 27
Mark Gurman says watchOS 27 will focus on stability, performance and smaller Apple Watch health refinements. The update may include better heart-rate tracking, while Apple's broader AI health push appears delayed.
With the WWDC 2026 keynote just weeks away, much of the excitement around Apple’s software updates has been focused on AI features and the expected changes coming to iOS 27. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Apple Watch may quietly get some meaningful health-focused upgrades of its own.
In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Gurman said that watchOS 27 will largely focus on stability, performance improvements, and smaller refinements rather than major new features. That means users should not expect a dramatic redesign or flashy additions this year.
Still, one upgrade could stand out for everyday users: improvements to heart-rate tracking on the Apple Watch.
Apple Watch may improve heart-rate tracking
While Gurman did not reveal exactly what the improvements would include, he hinted that Apple is continuing to refine how the Apple Watch monitors the wearer’s heart rate.
“This year’s watchOS 27 update will focus largely on stability, performance and smaller refinements, rather than introducing major new capabilities. Still, improvements to heart-rate tracking are coming,” Gurman said in the newsletter.
The Apple Watch has increasingly become one of Apple’s biggest health-focused products, with features like ECG monitoring, irregular rhythm notifications, sleep tracking, and workout metrics already playing a major role in the device.
Apple’s bigger AI health plans may take longer
Beyond watchOS 27, Apple is also reportedly working on a much larger AI-powered health initiative internally known as “Project Mulberry.”
The project is said to involve an AI agent capable of offering health insights using data collected through Apple Health. However, earlier reports in February suggested that the initiative had been scaled back.
According to Gurman, the AI health coaching features are still expected to arrive as part of the iOS 27 cycle, but likely later than initially planned.
“One internal project, an ambitious AI health coaching service known as Mulberry, was recently scaled back after Cue took over Apple’s health group. I don’t expect features from that endeavor to launch until later in the iOS 27 update cycle,” Gurman said.
That means the redesigned Health app itself could still debut alongside iOS 27. The rollout could happen with iOS 27.1 in October, iOS 27.4 next spring, or sometime in between.
Leadership changes inside Apple’s health division
Gurman also mentioned recent leadership changes within Apple’s health and Apple Watch teams.
Stan Ng, who served as Apple’s Vice President of Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing, retired in April. His replacement overseeing health, home, and Apple Watch responsibilities is Kaiann Drance, an iPhone product marketing executive who insiders reportedly believe could eventually become Apple’s overall marketing chief.