AirPods Pro 3 will bring heart rate and temperature measurement
A new report says that Apple’s aim to add a camera to the AirPods is to power Apple Intelligence features, and that the device is due to gain many more health features.
The idea of AirPods with cameras has been reported before. Specifically, it’s been expected that IR cameras could be fitted and that these would aid spatial audio by being better able to assess the user’s environment.
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.”
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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.
Gurman’s comments come in his Power On newsletter, released this weekend. Gurman said the heart rate technology could be ready for the AirPods Pro 3, which are in “early development.”
When hearing-related features debuted for the AirPods this year, it marked the beginning of a new era for the device. Just as the Apple Watch gradually gained health capabilities during the past decade, AirPods will see the same thing happen over the coming years. The company currently has teams experimenting with a variety of enhancements, including temperature sensing, heart-rate monitoring and technology that tracks a slew of physiological measures. The main work right now is getting the AirPods to reliably measure a user’s heart rate.
Though the Apple Watch already does this, the feature could be a selling point for people who don’t like wearing watches or just want a backup fitness tracker. The capability could be ready for the next-generation AirPods Pro, which are in early development. In Apple’s testing, heart-rate data is more accurate on the watch than AirPods, but the earbuds aren’t terribly far off.
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Interestingly, Apple is also working on a way to get cameras into AirPods which could help with AI services. The company started work on this a few years ago, but the project got shut down. Now, with the emergence of AI and Apple Intelligence, the project is back and seen as a priority. Assuming it doesn’t get canceled again, Gurman sees the technology arriving in a couple years.