watchOS 27 may have improved the Apple Watch's AI features, but a Siri AI health coach was needed to rival the Google Fitbit Air

Date:
Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:00:00 +0000

Description:
Sorry, Apple: I don't want to read reams of information about stretching on a 2-inch screen.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Today's WWDC 2026 conference
has given Apple fans something they've craved for years: a powerful, agentic version of Siri, with its own dedicated app. The new Siri AI is designed to work across the entire suite of Apple tools, from powerful Macs to the smallest watch. But the AI health features we did see were lacking compared
to Google's.

One of last year's headline Apple Watch features, Workout Buddy, has been improved: users can now get guidance and encouragement in their ears during exercise while just wearing a watch, and they don't need to bring their
phone, as they did in watchOS 26. Plus, new insights, such as heart rate zones, will be built in. Other expanded health and fitness features include the inclusion of menopausal and perimenopausal conditions in cycle tracking
(a significant and helpful addition for many women) and improved accuracy of treadmill metrics. Siri AI's health capabilities were also shown off on the watch, using its ability to look for healthy recipes and describe stretching routines based on its broad intelligence. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

However, despite rumors saying an AI model specifically dedicated to health and fitness was in the works, nothing materialized this year. Which is a shame, as I've already been using the Google Fitbit Air and its accompanying AI health coach, and I've seen how powerful such a feature can be. Watch: Marques Brownlee gives his verdict on Siri AI @techradar

original sound - TechRadar Despite existing Fitbit fans bemoaning their
loss of community features, I ended up liking Google's Health Coach . Unlike the Apple Watch, the Google Fitbit Air is screenless, with all chatbot interaction taking place on the phone in the Google Health app. You may like Apples Fitbit Air-rivaling AI health coach is delayed, new report claims Google Health has taken over from Fitbit but I still don't trust AI Apple
just gave 'Siri AI' its biggest upgrade ever whether iPhone users asked for it or not

To be honest, this works well: if you're going to read reams of text about stretching or your metrics, you want to do it on a proper 6-inch screen oriented specifically for readability, not a 1.9-inch squircle as was demonstrated in Apple's keynote speech.

What's more, the Google Health Coach works with its own library of Fitbit workout and meditation content, allowing you to custom-build workouts just by asking the chatbot , and getting demonstrable, video instruction rather than just a block of text. It also takes your illness or injuries into account, as I found out when I got sick, and the Coach changed my workout plan to recommend rest days and shorter runs. Get daily insight, inspiration and
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Apple already has a vast library of fitness content through its premium Apple Fitness+ service, and I expected a health coaching feature to be rolled into that subscription as part of the Siri AI revamp. Maybe that's a feature we're more likely to see at WWDC 2027. But its absence wasn't quite as much of an own goal as Apple's decision to only roll out watchOS 27 to a handful of modern watches . Today's best Apple Watch deals Apple Watch 11 369 299 View Deal See all prices Apple Watch SE 3 219 View Deal See all prices Apple Watch Ultra 3 549 View Deal See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/watchos-27-may-have-improved-the-appl e-watchs-ai-features-but-a-siri-ai-health-coach-was-needed-to-rival-the-google -fitbit-air


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