Sunday Runday
On this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks concerning the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to operating and well being, in his quest to get quicker and fitter.
WWDC 2024 begins tomorrow, June 10, and iPhones are about to get inundated with Apple Intelligence (AI, get it?), in keeping with a significant leak. Given Google and Samsung’s pivot to AI, it is an unsurprising shift for the model. Personally, I am much less within the trade’s AI shift and extra intrigued by what Apple Intelligence may imply for Apple Health.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who leaked the laundry record of AI options coming to WWDC 2024, guarantees that Apple will announce “main” modifications to the Health app, together with Well being modifications like “improved blood strain knowledge administration” and “cycle monitoring.”
He would not specify what main AI modifications Health will obtain, however I am taking a look at Samsung’s latest Galaxy AI health announcement for clues. The South Korean firm promised a day by day Vitality Rating, AI Wellness Suggestions for shedding weight and different life objectives, and personalised exercise routines to the Galaxy Watch 7.
Why deliver this up? As a result of I all of the sudden discover Samsung’s timing suspicious. Why reveal this in Might when the brand new Galaxy Watch will not ship till August? Possibly Samsung guessed that Apple would announce related AI health tips at WWDC 2024 and needed to be the “first” to disclose them.
My guess is that Apple Health will add its personal “day by day readiness” rating, following within the footsteps of Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, and different manufacturers. It has all the information needed, from sleep levels and resting HR to emphasize and exercise monitoring. It merely wants a enough algorithm to interpret that knowledge correctly.
Apple Health Plus already provides among the finest guided at-home exercises, nevertheless it’s potential Siri may begin pointing you to particular routines based mostly in your health degree, muscle map, and tiredness. Maybe it may inform you whether or not you may have the energy to finish a second routine, based mostly in your coronary heart fee knowledge in the course of the first routine.
My private hope is that Apple Intelligence will be capable of recommend day by day operating or biking exercises by time, size, and tempo, based mostly in your VO2 Max — simply as Garmin watches can. As an example, it may suggest a more durable tempo once you’re well-rested, then a lightweight jog the next day.
Or, Apple may take extra of a Fitbit-esque strategy, recommending you hit a specific amount of Lively Zone Minutes per day based mostly in your power degree. Apple may make its day by day rings extra dynamic, adjusting your motion and stand objectives as needed so that you’re bettering however not overtraining.
I’ve worn the Apple Watch Extremely 2 for months on and off, and have been fairly happy with its accuracy for GPS, steps, elevation, and different checks I’ve carried out. Samsung promised that its Galaxy AI pivot would ship “enhanced well being algorithms” for “larger precision and accuracy,” so it is potential Apple may enhance even additional.
However correct knowledge throughout a exercise is not sufficient. Apple and Samsung want to indicate they’ll perceive and course of that knowledge to construct a private profile and information you down the fitting path. Health watch manufacturers like Garmin, COROS, and Polar have constructed their manufacturers and dependable followings off their capability to educate you based mostly in your talents as an alternative of assigning a generic 30-minute exercise ring to shut.
Apple in all probability intends to make its AI a health coach, simply as Samsung does. And it is an thrilling improvement! I have been ready for extra mainstream smartwatches to strive their fingers at teaching. The query might be whether or not both model can pull it off and provides correct recommendation to each couch-to-5Kers and correct athletes.
The Pixel Watch 2 is the uncommon mainstream watch to have teaching, due to Google’s Fitbit acquisition, however the latest Fitbit updates have centered on new well being sensors. We’ve not seen many updates to Fitbit’s teaching in years. The Galaxy Watch 7 and Apple Watch X getting into the fray would problem Google to innovate, and provides shoppers extra choices for at-home teaching.
Or maybe I am misreading what “main” Apple Health modifications are coming, and we can’t get any Apple Intelligence updates. We’ll discover out at WWDC 2024 tomorrow if Apple is evolving or falling behind the pack.