Apple is quietly reshaping its entire wellness strategy, taking a bold step that could redefine how technology supports personal health. The company has merged its Health and Fitness teams into its Services division – the same department that manages Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple TV+. 
This isn’t just an internal shuffle. It’s a strong signal that Apple wants wellness to become a core digital service, tightly integrated into its broader ecosystem, and possibly the foundation for a long-rumored subscription called Health+.
According to Bloomberg, the reorganization represents both a cultural and financial shift. For years, Apple’s identity has been tied to hardware – the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. But with global smartphone sales plateauing, Apple is clearly betting on services and recurring revenue. By aligning wellness under Services, Apple is transforming features like heart-rate monitoring, ECG, blood oxygen tracking, and sleep data – all initially free – into a potential subscription model that could offer personalized health insights, workouts, and nutrition guidance powered by Apple Intelligence.
The timing of this move is just as notable as its scope. Jeff Williams, Apple’s long-time Chief Operating Officer and a key figure behind Apple Watch’s health initiatives, is reportedly preparing to exit the company. His departure has triggered a reshuffling at the executive level: Craig Federighi will now oversee watchOS and health software integration, while John Ternus will lead Apple Watch hardware. Ternus, often seen as a future CEO candidate, is expected to play a central role in bridging hardware innovation with Apple’s growing service strategy. Meanwhile, Eddy Cue – the head of Services – now officially oversees Health and Fitness operations, signaling tighter coordination between device functionality and subscription-based features.
Industry watchers expect all this groundwork to pave the way for Apple Health+ – a service that may arrive as soon as 2026. Health+ would reportedly blend user health data from iPhone, Apple Watch, and connected medical devices into a single platform offering tailored recommendations, guided workouts, and nutrition tracking. Imagine a fitness plan that evolves automatically as your health data changes, or AI-driven insights that alert you to lifestyle risks before symptoms even appear. This is the vision Apple seems to be building toward.
Of course, Apple’s hallmark privacy focus remains at the center. The company is expected to keep health data encrypted and device-based whenever possible, ensuring that personal metrics never become ad-targeting tools. If successful, Health+ could do for wellness what Apple Music did for streaming – unify fragmented experiences into one seamless ecosystem that users are willing to pay for monthly.
In short, Apple’s decision to merge its Health and Fitness departments into the Services division is more than a restructure – it’s a statement. The future of wellness at Apple won’t just live on your wrist; it will live in your subscription list, integrated across your devices, and personalized by AI. By 2026, your Apple Watch may not just measure your heartbeat – it could help manage your entire wellbeing journey.