Apple spent a lot of time talking about AI during WWDC, but some of the more interesting changes in iOS 27 are showing up in the Health and Fitness apps.
A few of them address long-standing requests. Others introduce entirely new ways to use your iPhone and Apple Watch to understand what you’re eating, how you’re exercising, and how your health changes over time.
After digging through the update, these are the Health and Fitness features that stood out most.
The Health App Gets a Fresh Layout
The Health app is easier to navigate in iOS 27. Apple has redesigned the Browse section with a more visual card-based layout, making it easier to find categories and health information at a glance.
Navigation throughout the app also feels cleaner and more streamlined.
Your iPhone Can Evaluate Food Through the Camera
One of the coolest new Visual Intelligence features is hidden in Siri’s camera mode. You can just point your iPhone at your plate to get a quick snapshot of what you’re eating.
Instead of just obsessing over calories, it breaks down stuff that actually matters, like protein, sugar, and how processed the food is.
It’s obviously not a full-blown food diary app, but it’s a great way to check what you’re putting in your body before digging in.
GymKit Now Works With iPhone
For years, GymKit was tied almost entirely to Apple Watch, but that changes in iOS 27. Compatible treadmills, bikes, stair climbers, and other cardio machines can now connect directly to an iPhone and automatically exchange workout data.
If your gym supports GymKit, you’ll be able to sync workout metrics without relying on a watch to connect.
Also: 5 new Safari features in iOS 27 that could finally convince millions of iPhone users to switch back
Cycle Tracking Expands to Include Perimenopause Support
Apple is adding new tools aimed at users navigating perimenopause and menopause. The Health app can now look for patterns in long-term cycle data and provide insights when changes suggest a hormonal transition may be underway.
Symptom tracking and educational resources are also becoming an increasingly important part of the experience.
For people who have been logging cycle information for years, this is one of the more meaningful additions in the update.
Health and Fitness Step Counts Stay in Sync
This sounds like a small change until you’ve noticed the discrepancy yourself. iOS 27 improves how step data is shared between the Health and Fitness apps, helping ensure the numbers remain consistent across both experiences.
Workout Routes Are More Accurate
Apple is quietly fixing its distance tracking. With watchOS 27, outdoor workout maps are getting much cleaner route tracking, and the treadmill distance algorithms are getting a solid boost in accuracy. It’s a small quality-of-life update, but anyone who tracks their daily miles will notice the difference.
Fitness+ Adds Workouts Designed for Midlife Health
Alongside the new Health features, Apple is expanding Fitness+ with workouts tailored for people experiencing perimenopause and menopause. It’s a notable addition for a group that has often been underserved by mainstream fitness platforms.
Gym Workouts Can Use More Data Sources
With GymKit support expanding beyond Apple Watch, workout sessions can pull information directly from connected equipment more consistently.
Metrics such as pace, distance, incline, and calorie estimates become easier to capture and review inside Apple’s fitness ecosystem.
When Can I Download iOS 27?
The developer beta for iOS 27 is live right now, but if you want to wait for a slightly more stable build, the public beta drops in July. The official rollout hits everyone’s phones this fall.
