In the most recent installment of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman provided updates regarding Apple’s advancements in health features for AirPods. While previous reports have surfaced about this topic, this edition sheds a bit more light on it.
As per the newsletter, Apple is exploring a diverse range of health features, such as a heart-rate monitor, a temperature sensor, and new sensors designed to monitor various physiological metrics. Currently, the main focus for Apple appears to be developing the heart rate sensor.
During internal trials, Apple noted improvements in the accuracy of heart-rate data when compared to the Apple Watch; however, Gurman mentions that AirPods are also quite close in performance. Details on the other health features remain scarce, and a specific timeline is not available, but Gurman anticipates that these will be introduced “over the coming years.” The new features could potentially debut with the AirPods Pro 3.
Moreover, Apple is reportedly working on integrating cameras into AirPods. This initiative was initially shelved but has since been revived due to Apple’s renewed interest in creating products tailored for the AI era. Gurman emphasizes that this project is now a priority for the AI and AirPods development teams, though it is still a few years away from implementation:
In fact, it’s now seen as a priority for the teams within Apple’s AI and AirPods hardware development groups. That said, I wouldn’t expect the technology to hit the market for a couple more years — assuming it doesn’t get canceled again.
This year, Apple launched a new firmware update for AirPods Pro 2 that introduced hearing health features and enabled the use of AirPods as an FDA-certified hearing aid. With these recent developments, it’s clear that Apple is steering towards a more health-centric approach, making the addition of health features to AirPods appealing for users without an Apple Watch seem likely.
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