AirPods Pro 3 might watch your heart – but will it change your workouts?

Apple is reportedly going to introduce a new AirPods Pro model this year, together with the iPhone 17 lineup in September. Now, reputable insider Mark Gurman claims that the Cupertino tech giant is planning to add a key feature to the upcoming AirPods Pro 3: heart rate monitoring. 

In Gurman's Power On newsletter, the insider adds that there will be new AirPods Pro earbuds with potential heart-rate monitoring. The feature isn't entirely new; Apple has already introduced heart rate monitoring on the Powerbeats Pro 2 earlier in the year. 

Basically, when both Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are in your ears, the heart rate monitoring feature is active. LED optical sensors pulse over 100 times per second, and this way, they measure heart rate via blood flow, according to Apple. The feature is able to integrate with popular fitness apps to collect data during workouts. Then, the data also gets synced to Apple's Health app on your iPhone. 

Whether this feature will actually change your workouts depends on how you use it, though. If you're already tracking heart rate through an Apple Watch or other fitness device, the AirPods Pro 3 might be redundant. But for people who prefer lightweight gear or want real-time heart rate feedback during runs, cycling, or gym sessions without an extra device, it could make workouts more intuitive and help you hit your target zones more easily. 

That said, it won't replace full-featured fitness wearables, so think of it as a convenient supplement rather than a complete game-changer.

Meanwhile, apart from this feature, the AirPods Pro 3 are said to come with improvements to sound quality, better active noise cancellation, and potentially, a design change.

The current AirPods Pro model, the AirPods Pro 2, was launched back in September of 2022. So it's been quite a while, and it's about time they get a successor. The AirPods Pro 2 got updated with a USB-C charging case in September 2023. 

The Apple event is expected to happen on September 9 (Apple itself leaked it). We expect to see a new iPhone 17 Air model, a super-slim competitor to the Galaxy S25 Edge, a new camera island design to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and Apple Watch models during the event as well. 

I am personally eager to see what other improvements the new AirPods Pro 3 will bring, and I may be in for an upgrade this year. It seems this September event is bound to be exciting. 

Get Visible as low as $20/mo for 1 year. Limited time offer with code: FRESHSTART

$20 /mo

$25

$5 off (20%)

Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.

Buy at Visible