WatchOS Update: Bloomberg's well-known tech journalist Mark Gurman said in his Power On newsletter that Apple's focus this year will not be on major design changes.

WatchOS Update: Like every year, there's a lot of excitement in the tech world about WWDC 2026. Until now, most of the discussion has centered on iOS 27 and AI features, but now news is emerging that a special health upgrade is also coming for Apple Watch users. According to reports, heart rate tracking could be improved in watchOS 27.

watchOS 27 won't bring major changes, but will get important improvements

Bloomberg's renowned tech journalist Mark Gurman explained in his Power On newsletter that Apple's focus this year won't be on major design changes. The company is focusing more on stability, improved performance, and small but useful improvements in watchOS 27.

This means that this time users will not see any major visual changes or shiny new features, but many improvements can definitely come that will improve everyday use.

Heart-rate tracking may be more accurate.

According to reports, Apple is working on further advancing the heart rate monitoring technology in its smartwatches. While it's not yet clear what the new changes will include, it's believed that heart rate data could be more accurate and reliable than before.

Currently, the Apple Watch already has several health features built in, such as ECG monitoring, irregular heartbeat alerts, sleep tracking, and fitness metrics. Improvements to heart-rate tracking could prove very useful for those who constantly monitor their fitness and health.

Apple's big AI health plan may be delayed.

According to reports, Apple is also working internally on a major AI health project called Project Mulberry. The goal of this project is to create an AI system that can provide users with health advice and insights based on data stored in Apple Health.

However, it's being reported that the project's pace has been slowed down. Therefore, AI-based health coaching features may not be available in the initial version of iOS 27. It's believed they will be rolled out in later updates.

A new Health app may also be launched.

It's likely that Apple will introduce a new design and features to its Health app. This update could arrive with iOS 27.1 or next year's iOS 27.4 update. If this happens, users could experience a smarter, AI-based experience for understanding and tracking health data.

Major changes to Apple's Health team

The report also notes that Apple's Health and Apple Watch teams have recently undergone some major changes. Stan Ng, former vice president of Apple Watch and Health product marketing, retired in April.

Her responsibilities have now been passed to Kaiann Drance, who previously served on the iPhone product marketing team. Many within the company believe she could take on more significant marketing responsibilities at Apple in the future.