It started with counting steps and measuring your workouts, but now, fitness trackers want to move into different and more serious aspects of our health with trackers such as WHOOP moving straight into health care.
WHOOP announced new features that let users speak to licensed clinicians through its app and pull medical records into the platform.
US users will get on demand video consultations through the WHOOP app this summer. The company also announced Electronic Health Record syncing through a partnership with HealthEx. Medical histories, prescriptions and diagnoses can now go next to heart rate readings and sleep tracking data.
The announcement came not long after Google launched the Fitbit Air, a screen free wearable device built around health tracking and AI coaching. Wearable companies now want users to treat fitness trackers as health companions that stay active all day.
Ed Baker, Chief Product Officer at WHOOP, said, “We’re always asking how we can deliver more value to our members, and these upcoming features are some of the most meaningful we’ve ever built, from bringing clinician support directly into the app to advancing our AI coaching to be more personal and actionable than ever.”
WHOOP also promoted research related to its wearable platform. The company said daily WHOOP users logged more than 90 extra minutes of physical activity every week, slept for more than two extra hours and recorded 10% higher heart rate variability.
What Does A Wearable Know About Your Health?
WHOOP wants clinicians to work from months of biometric data instead of short appointments and handwritten notes. The company said, “Unlike traditional healthcare experiences that rely on brief, episodic snapshots, these consultations begin with a comprehensive understanding of the member’s health, powered by months of continuous data and, when available, bloodwork and medical history.”
That information could help doctors understand sleep habits, recovery problems and physical stress over longer stretches of time. Most GP appointments rely on patient memory and short conversations. A wearable device records information day and night.
More from News
- LinkedIn Faces A Surge In ‘AI Slop’ Content – How Does This Impact The Recruitment Process?
- How Is Social Media Being Used To Carry Out Due Diligence And Vetting?
- Insurance Fraud Rises As Young People Use Social Media To Find Brokers
- VivaTech Is Back For Its 10th Anniversary – And This Edition Is Its Biggest Yet
- Why Global Chaos Could Actually Be A Win For UK Supply Chain Startups
- Why Niche Pet Brands Are Thriving in a Competitive Market
- From Partnerships To Legal Threats: What Went Wrong Between Apple And OpenAI?
- Instagram’s ‘Instants’ Feature Could Expose Your Photos – Here’s How To Turn It Off
Also, WHOOP introduced new AI tools that build personal profiles around user habits and routines. A feature called My Memory lets users edit and manage the information stored inside the coaching system. Proactive Check Ins send recommendations connected to travel, recovery and sleep behaviour.
The WHOOP Journal now accepts voice and text entries for supplements, habits and life events. WHOOP said its AI system can suggest new entries after analysing behaviour data already stored in the app.
The company also wants its platform to become more accurate over time. WHOOP announced ongoing improvements to the heart rate algorithm and more accurate workout auto detection for users wearing the device every day.
Could People Trust A Tracker Too Much?
The new features create an unclear line between health tracking and medical advice. People already check wearables for sleep scores, recovery scores and heart rate alerts before deciding how they feel physically.
WHOOP now wants clinicians and biometric tracking inside the same experience. The company said, “Together, these advancements represent a significant step toward a more connected health ecosystem where performance data and clinical insight work in tandem to inform better outcomes.”
That convenience could change how users react to symptoms or fatigue. Opening an app already attached to your wrist feels easier than booking a clinic appointment and waiting for availability.
There are still limits around wearable technology and WHOOP acknowledged that its algorithms continue evolving through updates connected to heart rate tracking and workout recognition. Consumer devices cannot replace medical judgement from trained professionals.
Privacy also becomes a lot more sensitive once medical records enter a fitness platform. Sleep tracking data feels very different from prescription records and clinical histories stored inside the same app.
WHOOP has not announced pricing for the clinician service and it’s also still unknown how much access to doctors through the app will cost users in the United States.
