Apple ties $119 Quest blood panel to new Health Age score
Apple on Wednesday unveiled a revamped Health app that calculates how old a body appears. Apple calls this number Health Age.
The company wants to feed the score with blood work via a $119 partnership with Quest Diagnostics. Apple has previewed the update with the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.
The move is a sign of Apple’s intensifying push into diagnostics, once requiring a doctor’s order.
A test covering 50 biomarkers backs Health Age
Apple’s Health Age is the company’s effort to squeeze scattered metrics into a single number people can read. The score combines VO2 max, sleep data, and blood biomarkers to determine if measurements are consistent with calendar age.
The first two are obtained by wearable sensors only. That’s where Quest comes in. The third can’t come from a wrist.
In the US, Apple said people can order a panel of more than 50 biomarkers for $119. Apple called it a way to get data “that can only come from lab tests.”
Results are conveyed back to the iPhone, with watch readings for comparison and explainer videos from clinical experts attached. For those who skip the kit, lab results can still be added by hand or synced from existing medical records.
The new Health app will be available later this year in U.S. English, with other languages to follow. It requires Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.
Apple also added a Longevity tab next to Health Age that assesses sleep, movement, and heart health against clinical guidance, plus movement and mobility assessments. In one demo, an iPhone camera tracked a person taking a VO2 max test as a trainer walked through the movements on screen.
Apple’s health push comes as the company looks to bank more on non-hardware revenue. Apple’s April quarter set a Services record of $30.98 billion.
A daily 0-to-10 readiness number arrives with Apple Watch Series 12
Apple also added a daily readiness feature to the Series 12 and Ultra 4, in addition to the Health Age. It’s a single 0-10 score that looks at recent activity, vitals, and a sleep score and then sends out one of four calls: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It.
The number fluctuates during the day as new data is received. An afternoon workout or a dip in daytime vitals can change it.
Apple said the scoring model was developed with input from its own staff of exercise scientists and physicians and came from its own Apple Heart and Movement Study. Apple is late in this space, as rival trackers have offered readiness scores for years.
Scores are based on a new Health Sensing System that Apple added to the Series 12 and Ultra 4. Optical and electrical sensors are redesigned to record the heart rate every five seconds during the day.
Apple says heart-rate variability is quantified as often as every five minutes, 24 times as often as before. The Vitals app now shows HRV, a stress-and-recovery signal, in both an overnight and new daytime view.
Apple backed up the accuracy claim by carrying out a study of more than 1,000 people from demographic groups. The tech company said the study showed its watch outperforming leading wearables in heart rate accuracy.
“By combining breakthrough sensing on Apple Watch with Apple Intelligence in the Health app, we’re able to translate complex biometric data into clear guidance for users,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health and Fitness.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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