Simple fitness trackers evolved into smartwatches that track daily stats and heart rate, and eventually, smart rings were born to do the same. Why not add earbuds to the list of devices that can track basic health stats? Apple seems to think it's doable.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in the most recent Power On newsletter, Apple is working on bringing health features to next-gen AirPods, including heart-rate monitoring, temperature sensing, and tech that can track "a slew of physiological measures."
Considering the AirPods Pro 2 impressed the world earlier this year with a first-of-its-kind hearing aid feature that has since gained FDA approval, Apple's move in this direction isn't surprising. Given the narrative surrounding the current-gen Apple Watch, it's expected.
The AirPods Pro could be Apple's next big health-focused smart device
Gurman points out in his Sunday newsletter that the Apple Watch has "gradually gained health capabilities during the past decade."
The first Apple Watch could send notifications for irregular rhythm, a high or a low heart rate, and provide basic cycle tracking — and that's it. Compare this to the current-gen Apple Watch Series 10, which offers everything the Series 1 does, plus:
- An ECG app
- Low cardio fitness notifications
- Sleep tracking
- Sleep apnea notifications
- A Vitals app featuring heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, and sleep duration
- Temperature sensing
- Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
- Emergency SOS
- International emergency calling
- Fall detection
- Crash detection
To say the Apple Watch has come a long way in the past eight years is an understatement. I remember when the Apple Watch Series 10 was announced, Apple marketed it as a groundbreaking health and safety device, promoting how it detected active heart attacks, saved people after a crash or a fall, or helped get an early diagnosis for heart-related issues.
Gurman reports that "AirPods will see the same thing happen over the coming years" and eventually become just as full-featured and health-focused as the Apple Watch. Apple's main focus at the moment is accurately measuring a user's heart rate.
According to Gurman, "In Apple's testing, heart-rate data is more accurate on the watch than AirPods, but the earbuds aren't terribly far off."
Once Apple has heart monitoring covered with relatively high accuracy, the company will start working on temperature sensing and other health-related features.
And here's the best part: We might not have to wait that long for these health-focused AirPods. Gurman says, "The capability [of measuring a user's heart rate] could be ready for the next-generation AirPods Pro, which is in early development."
The first-generation AirPods Pro launched in 2019, followed by the second-generation (and current-generation) AirPods Pro 2 in 2022. If Apple follows the same three-year release schedule, the AirPods Pro 3 will be released in 2025.
