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WWDC25: What’s new in Health & Fitness
Apple’s Health app just leveled up, and it’s great news for anyone who wants to stay healthy without needing an Apple Watch or complicated setup. With HealthKit workouts and medication tracking, your iPhone becomes a low-key health partner, quiet, helpful, and always on.
Whether you’re walking more, tracking symptoms, or remembering your meds, these features make it easier than ever to stay consistent.
🔥 General Gist
- 📱 – Your iPhone can now track workouts and medications without needing extra gear.
- 🎯 – Workouts show real-time stats like distance, heart rate, and calories.
- 💊 – Medications are logged, scheduled, and even tracked for side effects.
- 🔒 – Everything is private and stays on your terms.
🏃♂️ Track Your Workouts from iPhone or iPad
What’s New:
- 🕒 Start workouts with a 3-second countdown
In iOS 26, some workout apps may add a 3-second countdown before the session begins. This short delay gives connected sensors, like heart rate monitors, time to sync so your data starts off accurate. - 💪 Log anything from walking to strength training
Apps will be able to support a wider range of activities like yoga, dance, walking, and weight training. Your workout tracking will better reflect what you’re actually doing. - 📱 Live stats on your lock screen
Workout stats such as time, distance, and calories may appear directly on your lock screen. You will be able to check your progress without unlocking your phone or opening the app. - 🎙️ Use Siri for hands-free workouts
Some apps will let you use Siri to start, pause, or stop a workout. Just say the command out loud and keep moving without touching your screen. - 💥 Sessions that keep going if the app crashes
If a workout app crashes or your phone restarts mid-session, HealthKit will be able to keep tracking in the background. Your progress will not be lost as long as the app supports this feature.
Why It Matters:
When Apple’s iOS 26 launches this fall, working out with your iPhone will feel smoother and smarter. You’ll get accurate data, hands-free control, and reliable tracking, even if the app crashes, making it easier to stay active without the extra hassle.
❤️ Add Heart Rate with a Strap or Earbuds
What’s New:
- 🎧 You will be able to pair Bluetooth heart rate monitors with your iPhone.
Since the iPhone doesn’t have a built-in heart rate sensor (and it won’t), you will be able to connect a chest strap or certain earbuds that track heart rate. As long as they use Bluetooth, they will work. - 📊 HealthKit will sync it all, showing calories, intensity, and more.
Once connected, HealthKit will take the heart rate data and use it to improve your workout stats. You’ll see more accurate numbers for calories burned, how intense your workout will be, and how your heart will respond over time.
Why It Matters:
When iOS 26 launches, you’ll be able to pair Bluetooth heart rate monitors with your iPhone, like chest straps or certain earbuds. HealthKit will use that data to give you more accurate workout stats, including calories burned and workout intensity, all without needing an Apple Watch.
🧠 Smart Medication Tracking
What’s New:
- 📋 Add medications with nicknames like “Night Pill” or “Allergy Med.”
You won’t need to remember long, official names. You’ll be able to give your meds simple nicknames that make sense to you, making tracking faster and easier. - 🔔 Set reminders and log doses as taken, skipped, or snoozed.
You’ll get a reminder when it’s time to take something. Then you can tap once to mark it as taken, skip it, or snooze it for later. No need for sticky notes or extra apps. - 📈 Track symptoms with emoji ratings or short notes.
If you feel off after taking a medication, you’ll be able to jot down a quick note or choose an emoji to show how you feel. This helps you keep track of possible side effects or patterns. - 📊 See trends over time, like dose consistency or how you feel after.
The Health app will display charts showing how often you take your meds and how you’ve been feeling afterward. It will help you notice habits or connections between symptoms and medications.
Why It Matters:
When iOS 26 rolls out, medication tracking in the Health app will become more useful and personalized. If developers choose to support these features, your favorite health apps will be able to use this data to help you stay on track, stay consistent, and feel more in control of your wellness.
📊 See the Full Picture of Your Health
What’s New:
- 📅 Compare workouts, meds, and symptoms in one app.
HealthKit will keep everything, your exercise, medication history, and how you’ll be feeling, in one place, so it will be easy to see the full picture. - 🧩 Spot patterns like energy dips, side effects, or sleep changes.
By looking at your data over time, you might notice things like feeling tired on certain days, or that a med will affect your sleep or workouts. - 🎯 Make better choices based on real data.
Instead of guessing, you will use your health history to make smarter decisions, like adjusting workout times or talking to your doctor with specific info in hand.
Why It Matters:
HealthKit in iOS 26 will bring all your health info together in one place, including workouts, medications, and how you’re feeling. You’ll be able to spot patterns like low energy, side effects, or changes in sleep. With everything connected, you can make better decisions based on real data instead of guessing.
Which feature are you going to try first, workout tracking or medication logging?