The AirPods Pro 3 may be your new fitness coach with a built-in heart rate sensor
Jada Jones/ZDNETIt has only been a few days since Apple’s Glowtime event, and we’re already getting insight into what the tech giant has in store for the future. 9To5Mac dove into the files of the latest iOS 18 beta and found lines of code hinting at a heart-rate sensor coming to future earbuds.Also: Which Apple AirPods 4 model should you buy? Here are the key differencesA string within the software mentions how wearing both earbuds during a workout would allow users to “track and send your heart rate to Apple Health.” This feature would then be managed within the pair’s Bluetooth settings. The code doesn’t mention which devices will house the sensor. However, sources close to 9to5Mac claimed it’ll be available on AirPods Pro 3 and the “next-generation of Powerbeats Pro.”A heart-rate sensor appearing on the latter may come as a surprise, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Apple teased the Powerbeats Pro via a social media post on September 4, with MLB star Shohei Ohtani wearing the pair, suggesting that the earbuds will possess some sort of athletic functionality, such as tracking a person’s heart rate. The function won’t be forced on users, as 9To5Mac reports that people will have the option to disable it for privacy reasons.Also: How Apple just changed hearing aids forever – and the lives of those who need themIt’s important to mention that there have been several rumors over the past year or so about what kind of changes the AirPods Pro 3 will introduce. Back in October 2023, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noted how the series is set to receive a design update and new chipset in 2025. More

