Apple has reportedly taken a big step toward a screenless, Whoop-style band for iPhone users

Apple Watch owners may eventually get a screenless sibling, since Apple is reportedly building prototypes of a health tracker in the same vein as Whoop. It would sit alongside the Apple Watch Series 12 rather than replace the best Apple Watch you can buy, and it would land in a category Google's Fitbit Air has already opened up this year.

Apple's Whoop rival has moved past the drawing board

The news comes from Bloomberg's lead Apple reporter Mark Gurman, whose track record on unreleased Apple hardware is about as reliable as it gets. According to Gurman, Apple spent months researching the category and is now building prototypes, which is a real step up from the design-stage concepts we covered back in August.

The prototypes are described as a thin fabric band with a small, sensor-packed computing module, and no display at all. Tim Cook and Eddy Cue are reportedly backing the effort, and Apple even pulled in engineers from its Vision hardware group, the team behind the Vision Pro.

However, the project still sits in what Apple internally calls a technology investigation phase, so there's no guarantee it ever ships. If it does, it wouldn't arrive before 2028, and Apple declined to comment on the report.

Fitbit Air and Garmin CIRQA already proved the screenless idea

If this sounds like Apple arriving late, that's because it tends to let others prove a category before stepping in with its own take. Google launched the $99.99 Fitbit Air on May 7, and Garmin announced its CIRQA Smart Band on July 21 as a subscription-free option with up to 10 days of battery life.



It should be noted that we've spent plenty of time with the bands Apple is chasing. Our Fitbit Air review called it a great lifestyle tracker as long as you know its limitations, and in our two-week hands-on, the missing screen turned out to be the whole point. So if you're wearing a Whoop, a Fitbit Air or a CIRQA right now, nothing changes for you, since Apple's band wouldn't land before 2028.

Still, Whoop is the one that should keep an eye on this. A screenless band is its entire business, and an Apple version would plug straight into the iPhone and Health app that millions of people already use every day.

What Apple's 2028 band means if you're shopping for a tracker now

The key takeaway is that Apple has only built prototypes so far, and it has shelved wearable ideas before, including a smart ring that Gurman says never moved forward. So if you've been eyeing a screenless band, waiting two-plus years for Apple is a big ask.

The good news for iPhone users is that you don't have to wait. The Fitbit Air already works with the iPhone, while Apple Watch owners who want Whoop-style recovery data can get a taste of it through Readiness today, which builds a daily score from your sleep and overnight vitals.

Why a screenless Apple band could make a lot of sense

I think Apple picked a smart spot here, since a band like this could complement the Apple Watch for people who want round-the-clock tracking without another screen buzzing at them all night.

Hopefully, it doesn't take until 2028 to find out whether this band is real. I'd personally love to see Apple pair it with a Health app that keeps its best insights free, because that alone could make it the easiest recommendation for someone already in the Apple ecosystem.

More on the Apple Watch and screenless trackers:

• See how Apple is rethinking the Apple Watch
• Read our full Fitbit Air review

• Follow me on X and Threads

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