Apple has made significant strides in the wearables category, including both the Apple AirPods and Apple Watch. AirPods, in particular, have been a major success for the Cupertino-based giant. Recently, the brand is pivoting into offering more and more health-centric features, as seen in AirPods Pro (second generation), which can now turn into clinical-grade hearing aid devices. Now, according to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple appears to be doubling down on health-centric features, with plans to include heart rate monitoring in the next-generation AirPods Pro, which are potentially going to be called AirPods Pro 3.
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Here’s What We Know So Far
Mark Gurman, in his Power On newsletter, says that Apple is working on heart rate measuring technology, and it could be ready for launch when the AirPods Pro 3 make it to the market. This feature is said to be in early development.
Gurman further mentioned that enabling AirPods to measure heart rate would unlock multiple new use cases for the wearable device, and users wouldn’t necessarily have to buy an Apple Watch just to measure heart rate. While internal testing found that heart rate tracking on the Apple Watch is more accurate, the report notes that AirPods’ tracking isn’t significantly far behind either.
There’s also another device rumoured to feature heart rate tracking: the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. This was reported by MacRumorswhich noted that based on iOS 18 code, the Powerbeats Pro 2 will likely connect to gym equipment, such as treadmills. Data from these sessions would then sync with the Apple Health app for tracking.
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Heart Rate Tracking Inside Apple AirPods: What It Means
While heart rate tracking is fairly common in devices like smartwatches, even entry-level ones, there have been few devices offering similar features in the truly wireless earbuds category. Given Apple’s reputation for accurate tracking, it will be interesting to see what kind of health features the AirPods Pro 3 ultimately offer. This innovation could potentially make heart rate tracking more accessible to a wider audience.
We believe this could be an exciting addition to AirPods, and once the feature debuts, it will make for a much more well-rounded product.
This aligns with Apple’s broader focus on health. The company has been steadily transitioning towards offering more health-centric features, such as the recently released sleep apnoea tracking with the Apple Watch and the rumoured blood pressure detection expected in future models. One cannot overlook the already extensive suite of health-tracking features that Apple has built into the Apple Watch.
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