New AirPods Pro Could Track Your Workouts, Here’s How

AirPods Pro 2 are expected from Apple this year, and according to a new report, one of the new features will include fitness tracking. This would be the first time Apple has offered fitness tracking on an AirPods product, potentially making the latest Pro generation an enticing purchase for fitness enthusiasts.

The current version of AirPods Pro have been around since October 2019, and in a lot of ways, they still hold up quite well nearly two years later. The form factor is solid, Apple’s noise-canceling tech remains among the best out there, and more recent features like Spatial Audio have given the earbuds a new lease on life. That said, current owners and folks that have yet to jump aboard the AirPods bandwagon are eager to see what the successor will have to offer.

Among things like improved ANC and sound quality, it’s now being suggested that the AirPods Pro hallmark feature could be fitness tracking. One report comes from Bloomberg, where reporter Mark Gurman says the new AirPods Pro will use “updated motion sensors with a focus on fitness tracking.” Similar reporting is also coming out of DigiTimes, which says Apple is planning to integrate ambient light sensors (ALS) in AirPods in the next 1-2 years.

What To Expect From Fitness Tracking AirPods

At its most basic, fitness tracking on AirPods Pro would likely allow users to track things like activity duration, running/walking/jogging distance, and total calories burned during a workout. Those are all things that new motion sensors should be able to track just fine, but where things get really exciting is with that ALS tech mentioned above. According to DigiTimes, this would allow AirPods to go a step further and track heart rate, blood oxygen, and other biometric info.

Whether or not those advanced fitness features are present in this year’s AirPods Pro remains to be seen, but what does seem apparent is that AirPods will soon be more than a tool for listening to music. What’ll be especially interesting to see is how all of this ties in with fitness tracking features already offered by the Apple Watch.

Apple could market fitness tracking AirPods as a way for users to tap into the Apple Fitness app without the need for an Apple Watch, offering a lower barrier of entry for people that either don’t want an Apple Watch or can’t justify its higher price. Another possibility could see the fitness info from AirPods being combined with Apple Watch data for a more complete tracking experience. It’s difficult to say which route is more likely, but with the new AirPods Pro expected in just a few months, there shouldn’t be too much longer to wait and find out.

Source: Bloomberg, DigiTimes

About The Author

Joe Maring
(1537 Articles Published)

Joe has been actively writing and talking about consumer tech since 2012. His biggest passion lies with smartphones, but he’s happy to talk your ear off about just about anything with a CPU. He lives in Kalamazoo, MI with his wife, two cats, and pit bull/boxer mix.

More From Joe Maring