Google and Apple Explore Partnership to Enhance Siri’s Health Coaching Capabilities

Apple’s partnership with Google could supercharge its own health suite and wearable. Here’s how.

I have been wearing Google's screenless Fitbit Air for a few weeks now, and while comparisons to its luxury counterpart, the Whoop, abound, testing Google's health tracker put my mind on its biggest rival, Apple, instead. While I'd be happy to see Apple ship a screenless health tracker of its own, what I'd much rather see is a substantial upgrade to its own health suite — and that starts with software. Also: Whoop vs. Fitbit Air: I've tested both trackers for health and fitness, and this model wins Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday, and the software unveiled there will ship on Apple's next-gen products. It might not seem like it, but WWDC could mark a turning point for the tech giant, with its rumored Siri revamp at the center of it all. Here's why. Google's Gemini will power the next generation of Siri, the two companies announced earlier this year. Companies use each other's software all the time — but Apple is no average company. Steve Jobs notoriously kept Apple's hardware and software closed, with little interest in integrating his products into Android devices or bringing Google products into Apple's ecosystem. Alas, it's 2026, AI has flooded Android's hardware, and Apple has run shallow on its own. It was about time Apple made a deal. As ZDNET's health editor, I am most intrigued by the health and fitness-related possibilities to come out of Google's Siri revamp.  While not perfect, my experience testing Google's AI Health Coach has sold me on health AI as a useful tool. By simply having a chatbot that hooks up to my sleep, exercise, and stress data, I can ask health-related questions that take my specific conditions into account and get personalized answers and recommendations. Also: I tracked 3,000 steps on my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring – this one was most accurate What's more, I'm eager to see how Apple will include this software in its devices to create something that feels distinct from its competition. I'd love to see a Health app revamp, similar to what Google has done with its Fitbit, now Google Health, app.