The decision follows a leadership change: Eddy Cue, Apple’s head of services, took over the health division after Jeff Williams retired at the end of last year.

Cue reportedly told colleagues that Apple needs to move faster and become more competitive. Rivals such as Oura and Whoop currently offer stronger features, particularly through their iPhone apps. Mulberry was originally expected to launch with iOS 26, but the project has been delayed multiple times.

Apple is still planning an AI chatbot for health-related questions and intends to use the new Siri chatbot in iOS 27 for such queries. Meanwhile, OpenAI has also entered the healthcare space with ChatGPT Health, increasing competitive pressure in the market.