Apple’s next AirPods Pro refresh could feature heart rate monitoring. But they are in “early development” and might not launch soon.
Engineers inside Apple are also working on several health-focused features for future models of the earbuds.
Future AirPod Pro models could focus on health features like heart rate monitoring
Apple launched the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) in September 2022. Since then, the earbuds have received some small upgrades, including gaining MagSafe support and switching to USB-C from Lightning. Apple has also kept improving the earbuds since their launch by regularly adding new features. More recently, with iOS 18‘s release, it turned the AirPods Pro 2 into a hearing aid.
With the next-gen AirPods Pro release, Apple is seemingly focusing on adding new health features to the earbuds. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reveals the company’s efforts on this front in his latest Power On newsletter. Apple engineers are “experimenting with a variety of enhancements, including temperature sensing, heart-rate monitoring and technology that tracks a slew of physiological measures,” says Gurman.
Currently, Apple is focusing on integrating heart rate monitoring into the AirPods Pro. While the Apple Watch can already reliably measure your heart rate, bringing the feature to AirPods will provide users with an alternative, especially those who don’t prefer wearing smartwatches.
Gurman sources suggest Apple’s testing shows the Apple Watch provides more reliable heart rate data, though the earbuds “aren’t terribly far off.”
AirPods with camera might help with AI
As previously reported, Apple is also looking to integrate cameras into the AirPods for AI. The company started working on this feature on an experimental basis a few years ago but eventually shuttered the research. However, with Apple Intelligence and AI playing a big role, Apple has revived the project.
Apparently, engineers inside the company are now working on the feature as a priority. Gurman says not to expect anything for the next two years, though, and even that is if Apple’s team does not hit a roadblock.
