Apple has officially taken the wraps off the iPhone 18 Pro series and the iPhone Duo and with it, the Cupertino giant has also revealed its biggest health update in years. iOS 27 brings a redesigned Health app experience, powered by Apple Intelligence and a slew of new health features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.
With the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo, the Health app on iPhones is getting a full redesign with Apple Intelligence built in.
A new Insights tab delivers a summary that updates throughout the day across heart, sleep, readiness, fitness, vitals and cycle tracking, with a For You section offering personalised recommendations.
Image Credit: Apple
Image Credit: Apple
The Longevity tab is the more interesting one. It analyses long-term health data across heart health, sleep, mental wellbeing, movement, metabolic health, hearing and nutrition.
Within it sits Health Age, a metric that uses Apple Watch data such as VO2 max, resting heart rate, sleep, and HRV to show how the user's body is tracking relative to their actual age.
Image Credit: Apple
Image Credit: Apple
Users can add lab data, including A1c and LDL, to refine it. There are also Movement Evaluations, which let users run physical assessments at home using the iPhone camera and Apple Watch.
These tests are designed to measure flexibility, strength, balance, movement mechanics and VO2 max. Apple says this runs entirely on-device, with no video recorded, stored, or shared.
Cycle Tracking inside the Health app now supports perimenopause and menopause, including symptom logging and cycle monitoring. Users aged 40 and over can now receive a notification if their logged cycle patterns suggest perimenopause.
Apple Health App Now Gives A Readiness Score from 0 to 10
Moving on, just as leaked, the new Apple Health app also gains a Readiness Score System in iOS 27. The feature analyses recent activity, vitals and sleep score to produce a single 0-10 score each day, with one of four clear recommendations:
- Recover
- Pace Yourself
- Ready
- Go For It
The score updates throughout the day as new data arrives. It can adjust based on the basis of an intense workout or if daytime vitals shift. This makes the Readiness Score dynamic and also shows which factors are driving the number rather than presenting a figure with no explanation.
Apple says the scoring algorithm was developed using data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, working with exercise scientists and physicians. The Vitals app also gains a daytime view alongside the existing overnight one, letting users spot changes before they show up in overnight readings.
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Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 Gain New Health App Features
Moving on, with the redesigned Health app for iPhones, Apple has also introduced a new Health Sensing System for the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Watch Ultra 4. The new feature uses optical and electrical heart sensors with larger, power-efficient green LEDs.
This results in 24/7 heart rate monitoring at every five-second interval. The new implementation makes the Exercise and Move rings more accurate.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) also gets a big upgrade. Heart rate variability is now measured as often as every five minutes, which Apple describes as 24 times more frequently than before. The watch tracks two separate variants: Recovery HRV for daily stress and recovery signals, and overall HRV for broader cardiovascular health.
Apple also claims the most accurate heart rate sensing in any wearable, citing a study of over 1,000 participants across demographic groups that compared it against leading rivals.
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Redesigned Health App and New Health Features Availability
Apple has confirmed that the watchOS 27 update will arrive on Monday, that is September 14, 2026. The update will be available for Apple Watch Series 9 or later, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, requiring an iPhone 11 or later running the iOS 27 update.
However, the Health Sensing System, Readiness and the new HRV tracking are hardware features and hence will stay limited to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.
For Indian users, the redesigned Health app launches in US English first, with more languages to follow. Apple Intelligence still supports no Indian languages among its 16 options. Separately, the new Labs feature, which lets users book blood tests covering over 50 biomarkers for $119, is limited to around 2,000 Quest Diagnostics locations in the US, with no international equivalent announced.
Aside from that, Workout Buddy now runs on Apple Watch without an iPhone nearby, GymKit gains AirPods Pro 3 heart rate syncing with gym equipment, and treadmill distance readings have been improved through new machine learning models.
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