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Apple is working on a variety of health features for future AirPods, including heart rate monitoring and temperature sensing, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

AirPods-4-Ambient-Light-Heart-Health-Sensor-Feature.jpg

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the heart rate technology could be ready for the AirPods Pro 3, which are in "early development" within the company.

AirPods getting heart rate monitoring would allow more customers to access this capability for health and fitness purposes, without needing to wear an Apple Watch. In internal testing, Apple has found that heart rate data is "more accurate" on the Apple Watch compared to AirPods, but he said the AirPods "aren't terribly far off."

Apple's upcoming Powerbeats Pro 2 will also offer heart rate monitoring during workouts. Based on our iOS 18 code findings, you will be able to connect the Powerbeats Pro 2 to gym equipment like a treadmill to measure heart rate, and the data will be visible in the Health app and other supported apps on the iPhone.

Apple previously announced that the Powerbeats Pro 2 will be released in 2025, but it is not entirely clear when the AirPods Pro 3 will launch.

As a longer-term goal, Gurman reiterated that Apple plans to add small cameras to future AirPods to enable unspecified AI-powered features. This project is now a "priority" for Apple, but likely still a few years away from completion, he said.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Working on AirPods Pro 3 With Heart Rate Feature
 
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That would be great if Apple does add heart rate capabilities to the new AirPods Pro 3

I’m hoping that Apple does come out with the new AirPods Pro this September as I’d like to be able to get the new ones (for the improved noise cancellation) for when I take them with me traveling next year
 
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A feature no one is asking for. I don’t understand why apple is doing redundant choices like putting heart rate monitoring on the AirPods Pro when the Apple Watch already does that quite well. Am I missing something here?
 
Yeah, this isn’t coming out in 2025. Lol. Probably Spring 2027 with the heart rate feature.
 
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Hope there is a version without it. Why would I want heart rate measurements in my earbuds? I already have an Apple Watch. How about lossless audio? These are earbuds, please make audio related improvements.
Way more accurate measurements. Apple Watch is prone to cadence lock, for example
 
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AirPods Pro 3, which are in "early development" within the company?

I thought they were supposed to be out in 2025?
Exactly. AirPods Pro 1 (rattlegate) hit me, so I skipped AirPods Pro 2 for anger reasons. I'm entering year two three of my Beats Fit Pro "era" and hoping AirPods 3 will be out and field tested before I need them.

OTOH, I do like how with BFP I can stop/skip/repeat a song by pressing the side of my head while wearing heavy winter gloves and a stocking cap under a hood --when Siri can't hear me.
 
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Way more accurate measurements. Apple Watch is prone to cadence lock, for example
Apple Watch is accurate enough. I had a cardiac stress test done in a hospital earlier this year. Compared the output of the watch to the one the test was getting and it was always within 1 or 2 bpm off at most.

Plus if you read the article, it actually says the AirPods are not as accurate as an Apple Watch, so not sure where are you getting “way more accurate measurements” from.
 
It’s weird how the article image is of a non-Pro AirPod. 😅

I don’t mind Apple adding features like this but I would hope it doesn’t come at the cost of battery life, especially as I already have an Apple Watch to do this. Why not use the AirPod for temperature monitoring? In-ear measurements are supposed to be quite accurate and the Watch currently can’t do temperature monitoring well at all.
 
Apple Watch is accurate enough. I had a cardiac stress test done in a hospital earlier this year. Compared the output of the watch to the one the test was getting and it was always within 1 or 2 bpm off at most.

Plus if you read the article, it actually says the AirPods are not as accurate as an Apple Watch, so not sure where are you getting “way more accurate measurements” from.
That’s when you’re stationary. Any wrist-based HRM is prone to giving completely wrong readings from cadence lock when working out, which is why sometimes the bpm is greyed out during workouts and heart rate measurements are missing in some parts of a workout (invalid data). Main reason why some still rely on chest-based monitors when they work out, even when they wear smart watches.

This ear-based implementation may not be as accurate as Apple Watch when stationary but it may be able to provide valid data in more scenarios.
 
Looks like having heart rate measurement on the next AirPods Pro is a possibility. Want to see what Apple will do with cameras on AirPods. But that will take a long time to be available
 
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That’s when you’re stationary. Any wrist-based HRM is prone to giving completely wrong readings from cadence lock when working out, which is why sometimes the bpm is greyed out during workouts and heart rate measurements are missing in some parts of a workout (invalid data). Main reason why some still rely on chest-based monitors when they work out, even when they wear smart watches.

This ear-based implementation may not be as accurate as Apple Watch when stationary but it may be able to provide valid data in more scenarios.
Are you familiar with how a cardiac stress test works? It's not stationary at all.... And again, read the article, no mention of the results being stationary or working out, it just says "Apple has found that heart rate data is "more accurate" on the Apple Watch compared to AirPods, but he said the AirPods "aren't terribly far off."" Anything else is you assuming, without anything to back it up.

If you're happy with heart rate monitors in AirPods, good, looks like you'll get a product for you. For many of us, we just want our AirPods to get good audio feature and updates and couldn't care less about having a heart rate monitor in our ear, so hopefully this just becomes a separate health edition or something like that.
 
My thoughts exactly when I read this. WTF? They're overdue IMO but we might not see them til 2026 at this rate.
Same here. My original Airpod Pros aren't doing so well, but I"m not spending the money to buy the v2 at this point. I am seriously hoping this reporting is innaccurate and they will be released sometime relatvely soon. Otherwise, time to find a different manufacturer I guess?

I wasn't even considering that until now, not even sure what the next best option is. I'll wait until early-mid 2025 and then I guess it's moving on to somebody else and not Airpods for the first time in a very long time.
 
So they are in “early development”? Yet just 2 days ago we were told they’re coming in 2025
Well, I believe it when Apple actually announces them…
 
A feature no one is asking for. I don’t understand why apple is doing redundant choices like putting heart rate monitoring on the AirPods Pro when the Apple Watch already does that quite well. Am I missing something here?
Not everyone has or wants an Apple watch.
 
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