Apple's watchOS 27 Takes a Step Back From Big Features to Get the Basics Right, While Its Most Ambitious Health Project Hits a Wall

One feature that will genuinely stand out in watchOS 27 is a significant upgrade to the Apple Watch's heart rate monitoring system. Apple is said to be working on making biometric tracking meaningfully more accurate and far more responsive in real time.

This matters more than it might initially seem. Competing wearable platforms, particularly WHOOP, have built loyal followings precisely because they refresh cardiovascular data more frequently and deliver readings that athletes and health-conscious users consider more clinically useful. Apple, despite being the dominant smartwatch brand globally, has faced persistent criticism that its heart rate data lacks the granularity and refresh speed that serious fitness users demand.

With watchOS 27, Apple is reportedly trying to close that gap. The goal is to deliver real-time cardiovascular monitoring that feels more responsive and more precise, bringing the Apple Watch closer to the standard set by dedicated fitness trackers. These improvements are also described as foundational groundwork for Apple's larger long-term digital health ambitions.

The bigger story buried in Gurman's report is the fate of Project Mulberry, Apple's internally developed AI-powered health coaching initiative. The project, described as deeply integrated with Apple Health data, was designed to analyse a user's long-term health history and deliver genuinely personalised lifestyle guidance, going far beyond generic step count nudges or hydration reminders.

Earlier internal plans for Project Mulberry were, by any measure, bold. The system was reportedly being built to analyse live camera feeds in real time to assess a user's posture and offer live corrections during workouts. It was the kind of futuristic health feature that would have drawn significant attention at an Apple keynote.

Project Mulberry had originally been planned to launch alongside a redesigned Apple Health app as part of the iOS 26 release cycle. However, the initiative has undergone major internal restructuring following Apple executive Eddy Cue's appointment to lead the company's health division. That leadership transition appears to have triggered a comprehensive review of the project's scope, readiness, and direction.

The outcome of that review has not been kind to the original timeline. Multiple AI health features tied to Project Mulberry have reportedly been pushed back beyond the initial launch window. Gurman noted that some of these capabilities may not arrive until later in the iOS 27 update cycle, meaning users could be waiting well into next year or beyond.

The reasoning behind the delay is telling. Apple reportedly concluded that the early versions of the AI health coaching experience were not polished or differentiated enough to justify a launch. The premium health and fitness subscription market has grown intensely competitive, with established services already available on the App Store offering deeply personalised coaching, recovery tracking, and AI-driven insights. Apple, according to the report, felt its version did not yet clear a high enough bar to stand apart from what users can already access.

That kind of honest internal assessment, choosing to delay rather than ship something mediocre, reflects the pressure Apple places on itself to define categories rather than simply join them. But it also raises questions about how long users will have to wait for Apple to deliver on its frequently stated promise of transforming personal health through its devices.

In practical terms, watchOS 27 is shaping up to be a quieter but potentially more satisfying update for everyday Apple Watch users. Better performance and stability improvements, combined with a stronger heart rate tracking experience, could make the watch feel noticeably more capable without requiring any dramatic new hardware. For users who have grown frustrated with the current system's occasional inconsistencies, a focused stability release may be precisely what the platform needs.

Project Mulberry, when it does arrive, remains one of the most conceptually exciting things Apple has in development. But for now, it stays in the lab.