Apple’s latest move to push health sensors into earbuds — and iOS 26’s Workout Buddy — changes the rules for people who buy wearables primarily to track exercise, and it raises a direct question: do you still need an Apple Watch to close your rings and monitor workouts? (apple.com)
Apple introduced the AirPods Pro 3 as a major step for earbuds beyond audio: the new earbuds include an in‑ear photoplethysmography (PPG) heart‑rate sensor that Apple says pulses invisible infrared light 256 times per second to read blood‑flow changes in the ear canal. That sensor feeds data into iOS 26’s Fitness and Workout workflows — including the AI‑driven Workout Buddy — allowing users to start and complete workouts, track heart rate, estimate calories burned, and close Move/Exercise rings without wearing an Apple Watch. Apple’s hardware and software announcements make this a platform play: the earbuds supply biometric inputs while the iPhone (with Apple Intelligence) does the heavy computational lifting. (apple.com)
The idea is simple: move core fitness telemetry into something most users already carry and prefer — their earbuds — and remove the Apple Watch as the mandatory middleman for workout tracking. That has obvious appeal for people who dislike wrist devices, want fewer things to charge, or care mainly about exercise metrics rather than continuous health monitoring or on‑wrist convenience. Major outlets and Apple’s own materials confirm the feature set and the integration model, which places the iPhone and Fitness app at the center of the experience. (theverge.com)
The technical claims (256 pulses per second, tight Fitness integration, Workout Buddy guidance) are supported by Apple’s materials and corroborated by multiple independent outlets, while prior earbud efforts such as Beats’ Powerbeats Pro 2 provide a useful point of comparison with their ~100 Hz optical pulsing. Real‑world adoption will hinge on how well Apple’s signal models handle the messy variety of human ears and workouts; until independent validation and long‑term tests arrive, the prudent move is to treat the earbuds as an excellent fitness tool — not a clinical replacement for continuous, on‑wrist health monitoring. (apple.com)
Source: ZDNET This new AirPods Pro feature makes me question why I still wear an Apple Watch
Background / Overview
Apple introduced the AirPods Pro 3 as a major step for earbuds beyond audio: the new earbuds include an in‑ear photoplethysmography (PPG) heart‑rate sensor that Apple says pulses invisible infrared light 256 times per second to read blood‑flow changes in the ear canal. That sensor feeds data into iOS 26’s Fitness and Workout workflows — including the AI‑driven Workout Buddy — allowing users to start and complete workouts, track heart rate, estimate calories burned, and close Move/Exercise rings without wearing an Apple Watch. Apple’s hardware and software announcements make this a platform play: the earbuds supply biometric inputs while the iPhone (with Apple Intelligence) does the heavy computational lifting. (apple.com)The idea is simple: move core fitness telemetry into something most users already carry and prefer — their earbuds — and remove the Apple Watch as the mandatory middleman for workout tracking. That has obvious appeal for people who dislike wrist devices, want fewer things to charge, or care mainly about exercise metrics rather than continuous health monitoring or on‑wrist convenience. Major outlets and Apple’s own materials confirm the feature set and the integration model, which places the iPhone and Fitness app at the center of the experience. (theverge.com)
How in‑ear heart‑rate sensing works (technical overview)
Photoplethysmography (PPG) in earbuds
- What PPG measures: PPG is an optical technique that shines light into tissue and measures the light reflected or transmitted back; changes in reflected light correspond to blood volume changes — effectively letting the sensor infer your pulse.
- Where it’s used: PPG is the same basic method Apple Watch and many earbud sensors use. Differences in accuracy come from sensor placement, optics, pulse sampling rate, motion artefact handling, and signal‑processing models.
- Ear vs. wrist: The ear canal is a promising site for PPG because it can be less prone to some motion artefacts that plague wrist sensors during certain activities, and it offers a stable optical window for some users. But fit, seal, and individual ear anatomy strongly affect data quality.
How sampling rate matters
- Sampling frequency: Beats’ Powerbeats Pro 2 used an optical design described publicly as pulsing at ~100 times per second; Apple’s marketing for AirPods Pro 3 advertises 256 Hz sampling. Higher sampling can improve the fidelity of the waveform and give software more data to filter motion noise — but sampling rate alone does not guarantee clinical accuracy. It’s a factor in a larger chain that includes optics, sensor stability, and algorithm quality. (beatsbydre.com)
What Apple is promising (features and UX)
- Native integration with the iPhone’s Fitness app and the Move/Exercise rings: workouts started in Fitness can use AirPods Pro 3 heart data to populate heart‑rate zones, calorie estimates, and ring progress — all without an Apple Watch being present. Apple showed the flow at WWDC and in product materials. (apple.com)
- Workout Buddy (watchOS/iOS 26): an AI coach that uses historical fitness data, real‑time metrics (including earbud heart rate), and a local text‑to‑speech model to provide spoken guidance and insights during workouts. The experience is explicitly designed to work with Bluetooth headphones — not only the Apple Watch — and requires an Apple Intelligence–compatible iPhone nearby. (apple.com)
- Longer battery life and improved ANC: Apple also upgraded audio, noise cancellation, and fit, which are important because earbuds must remain comfortable and powered for long workouts if they are to replace a wrist device for exercise tracking. Apple lists up to 8 hours of playback with ANC and longer in some modes. (appleinsider.com)
Why this feels different from prior earbuds
The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 and some other earbuds have offered in‑ear heart‑rate sensing before, but early implementations suffered from fragmentation, paywalls in companion apps, connectivity quirks, and inconsistent UI integration. Apple's declarative difference is twofold:- Tighter native integration: AirPods Pro 3 are built to sync directly into the iPhone’s Health and Fitness apps and the new Workout Buddy experience, avoiding third‑party app lock‑in. Apple positions the feature to work in the same place users already go to view rings and Fitness+ results. (macrumors.com)
- Higher sampling claims and sensor fusion: Apple advertises a higher sensor pulse rate (256 Hz), combined with accelerometer/gyroscope data and iPhone computational models to produce zone tracking and calorie estimates. That combination aims to address the failure modes that earlier earbuds exposed. (appleinsider.com)
Strengths — why some users will drop the Watch
- Fewer devices to wear and charge: For people who only used Apple Watch for workouts and sleep summaries, the AirPods Pro 3 + iPhone combo removes the friction of charging and wearing a watch. The earbuds are already standard daily carry for many users.
- Audio + telemetry in one device: AirPods Pro 3 retain full audio features (ANC, Transparency, spatial audio), so they double as a high‑quality headphone and a fitness sensor — an attractive consolidation of functions.
- Improved fitness experience for Fitness app users: Workout Buddy and the Fitness app's redesign make the iPhone the analysis hub; users who prefer phone‑centred experiences will find the integration seamless. Apple’s marketing and press materials are consistent on this point. (apple.com)
- Potentially better in‑workout fidelity: For some exercise types (e.g., steady cardio), ear PPG can yield very usable heart‑rate traces; higher sampling helps the algorithm separate pulse signal from motion noise.
Risks, limits, and important caveats
1) Accuracy is context dependent — treat ear PPG as “good enough” for workouts, not a clinical monitor
Higher sampling frequency and sensor fusion are promising, but they are not a shortcut to clinical‑grade readings. Continuous background monitoring (sleep apnea detection, AFib screening, ECG, or blood‑pressure inference) requires different sensors, regulatory approvals, and long‑running validation. Apple continues to treat on‑wrist ECG/AFib and related features as watch‑centric, and many of those features remain subject to regional regulatory clearance. Users who need clinical accuracy should not replace a medically cleared device with earbuds. Apple’s press materials and independent coverage are careful to frame earbuds as fitness and activity tools rather than clinical instruments. (apple.com)2) No continuous background monitoring
Earbuds are not typically worn 24/7 in the way a watch is. For users who depend on continuous monitoring — fall detection, passive step counting, continuous heart‑rate variability (HRV) logs — a watch remains superior because it is worn constantly and can detect events in the moment without relying on a phone nearby.3) Feature fragmentation and regional availability
Clinical or quasi‑clinical features (hypertension alerts, ECG) historically require regulatory clearance and often roll out regionally. Apple has done this with ECG and blood‑oxygen features on Watch in the past. Expect some features that sound “health‑adjacent” to be staged or limited by regulatory approvals. (techradar.com)4) Fit, seal, and user variability
Ear anatomy varies widely. Achieving a stable, accurate PPG signal depends on fit and contact. Foam‑infused tips and additional sizes help, but real‑world accuracy will vary across users and activities (heavy sweat, high arm motion, or poor seals will increase noise).5) Notification and safety tradeoffs
The Apple Watch does more than fitness: it surfaces notifications, enables quick replies, facilitates fall detection, and can perform Crash Detection. If you remove the Watch, you lose that persistent surface and its safety features unless your phone or another device picks them up. Apple’s materials mention Crash Detection and some safety features being integrated into iPhone and Watch ecosystems, but those remain Watch‑dependent for some functions.Who should consider ditching the Watch — and who should not
Good candidates to switch to AirPods Pro 3 + iPhone
- Users who primarily wore the Watch for exercise tracking and ring‑closing, and who dislike wrist wearables.
- Casual fitness customers who want simpler, consolidated hardware and are satisfied with per‑workout tracking rather than continuous monitoring.
- People who already use AirPods daily and prefer to deal with one device rather than a separate watch battery and strap.
Keep the Watch if you rely on:
- Continuous, passive monitoring (ECG, irregular rhythm notifications, daily HRV trends).
- On‑wrist convenience for notifications, calls, hands‑free replies, and quick glances.
- Safety features tied to the Watch (some fall detection, advanced Crash Detection behaviour).
- Sleep tracking with a watch (though Apple claims some basic sleep metrics are available on iPhone; the Watch still offers richer night‑to‑night sensor continuity).
Setup and practical tips (how to use AirPods Pro 3 for workouts)
- Ensure your iPhone runs iOS 26 (or later) and supports Apple Intelligence features required by Workout Buddy. Apple’s watchOS/iOS materials emphasize this dependency. (apple.com)
- Pair AirPods Pro 3 to your iPhone via Bluetooth and update firmware when prompted. Keep the iPhone near the earbuds during firmware updates.
- Open the Fitness app, start a workout (or use Workout Buddy via the Workout app on supported devices), and select the workout type. If AirPods Pro 3 are in your ears and connected, the iPhone’s fitness flow should accept the ear heart‑rate stream. (apple.com)
- During the workout you’ll get spoken guidance and heart‑rate metrics — Workout Buddy will use historical data and real‑time inputs to generate cues. After the workout, data syncs to Health and the Fitness app. (macrumors.com)
Privacy, data handling, and security
Apple’s public messaging emphasizes on‑device processing and privacy controls for Apple Intelligence features. Workout Buddy is described as analyzing data privately and securely on device where possible, with text‑to‑speech models that do not offload raw sensor streams to the cloud for inference in typical flows. Users should still inspect Apple’s Health privacy settings and Fitness sharing controls, and be aware of how workout and heart‑rate data is stored and shared (Health app locks, iCloud backups, third‑party app permissions). For enterprises and privacy‑conscious users, the usual precautions hold: limit third‑party app access, disable Fitness sharing where necessary, and confirm that any cloud services used for personalized coaching comply with organizational data policies. (apple.com)Industry context and competitive landscape
- Beats (Powerbeats Pro 2) implemented in‑ear PPG earlier and publicly documented a ~100 Hz pulsing design. Apple’s marketing for AirPods Pro 3 cited 256 Hz pulses, and multiple outlets validated that claim. But the market is now clearly moving to embed health sensors deeper into personal audio. These are convergent trends across vendors, not an Apple‑only pivot. (beatsbydre.com)
- The race is less about raw sampling numbers and more about ecosystem integration: who turns biometric streams into actionable, trusted insights with low friction? Apple’s advantage is the direct path into Health/Fitness and Fitness+ ecosystems, plus the cross‑device orchestration between AirPods, iPhone, and Apple Watch (when present). (theverge.com)
Testing and validation — what to watch for in early reviews
- Signal quality across activities: steady runs vs. HIIT vs. strength sets produce different artefacts. Look for third‑party lab tests and independent reviews that compare ear‑derived HR traces to chest‑strap ECG references.
- Algorithm robustness: how the phone/earbud combo rejects motion artefact, handles sweat, and compensates for fit differences matters as much as sensor hardware.
- Battery impact during continuous heart sensing: Apple advertises competitive battery life, but enabling continuous HR telemetry during workouts may reduce run time; real‑world tests will show the tradeoffs.
- Edge cases and failure modes: pairing dropouts, missed rings, or incorrect calorie estimates will be important to surface early.
Practical recommendation for buyers
- If your primary use case is exercise tracking and motivation and you already use AirPods as your daily audio device, AirPods Pro 3 plus an iPhone running iOS 26 can replace the Apple Watch for many people. It simplifies charging and reduces the number of wearables on your person.
- If you rely on continuous monitoring, safety alerts, or on‑wrist convenience, keep the Apple Watch. Apple has not migrated those capabilities wholesale into earbuds, and the Watch remains the central device for always‑on health and notifications.
- Wait for independent head‑to‑head reviews comparing AirPods Pro 3 HR traces against chest‑strap or clinical references before making a medical decision or switching devices for health monitoring. Apple’s numbers and sampling claims are verifiable in marketing materials and initial press coverage, but third‑party validation is where real reliability is proven. (apple.com)
Conclusion
AirPods Pro 3 and iOS 26 represent a deliberate shift in Apple’s wearable strategy: move key fitness telemetry into devices people already use and centralize analytics on the iPhone and Apple Intelligence. For many users, especially those who accepted the Watch only as a fitness accessory, this development will remove a barrier to simplifying their daily carry. For others — users who depend on continuous monitoring, safety features, or on‑wrist convenience — the Apple Watch keeps its unique value.The technical claims (256 pulses per second, tight Fitness integration, Workout Buddy guidance) are supported by Apple’s materials and corroborated by multiple independent outlets, while prior earbud efforts such as Beats’ Powerbeats Pro 2 provide a useful point of comparison with their ~100 Hz optical pulsing. Real‑world adoption will hinge on how well Apple’s signal models handle the messy variety of human ears and workouts; until independent validation and long‑term tests arrive, the prudent move is to treat the earbuds as an excellent fitness tool — not a clinical replacement for continuous, on‑wrist health monitoring. (apple.com)
Source: ZDNET This new AirPods Pro feature makes me question why I still wear an Apple Watch
