Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 bring heart rate tracking to in‑ear devices, and that one feature could revolutionize how millions of iPhone users monitor their workouts. That’s a job the earbuds now do — or at least the earbuds assume the duty that for some people lashed them to the wrist: Thanks to updates to the iOS Fitness app that allowed the calculation of progress on the Move ring, calorie counts, and workout sessions without a watch, earbuds now bear the very job that kept many of us lashed to our wrists.
The Game Changer
Pair the AirPods Pro 3 with the iPhone’s Fitness app and you can start a workout, receive a live heart rate, see time in activity and close your move ring — no Apple Watch necessary. Apple’s new Workout Buddy leverages past Fitness data to bring up on‑the‑fly coaching tips — a reminder to pace yourself intelligently, rather than just doing something by rote.
Crucially, Apple says the in‑ear PPG sensor samples at 256 times per second, faster than the 100 Hz Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 sensor, promising cleaner and more responsive pulse data. And unlike some gym‑connected buds that offer sound for biometrics, AirPods Pro 3 leave noise cancellation and full audio playback switched on while they are tracking.
Why in‑ear biometrics are often more accurate
The ear is quite a good location to measure blood flow. In‑ear PPG is more resistant to motion artifacts than on the wrist, according to peer‑reviewed research published in IEEE biomedical journals and the Journal of the American Heart Association, especially during vigorous exercise when bounces and arm swing confuse optical sensors.
Wrist wearables counteract the problem of loose bands, body tattoos, and cold-induced vasoconstriction. In contrast, a tight silicone ear tip provides continuous and tight punctiform contact. That may result in steadier heart rate traces during either sprints or HIIT—precisely the scenarios casual exercisers care about when working to gauge effort.
What the Watch is still better at
All of this does not make the Apple Watch irrelevant across the board. The Watch continues to provide all‑day background monitoring, wrist‑based notifications, safety features including Fall Detection and Emergency SOS, and clinical‑style tools such as the ECG app. For endurance athletes, however, integrated GPS, recovery trends and richer third‑party training apps continue to make an attractive story.
AirPods Pro 3 can track workout heart rate while you’re wearing them, but a pubescent line of earbuds doesn’t replicate 24/7 biometrics or wrist‑first conveniences like on‑the‑go payments and complication‑rich watch faces. If you exist in training zones, need HRV‑driven readiness or depend on wrist alerts, the Watch still deserves its square footage.
Real‑world friction, removed
For many people, however, the Watch’s primary function is straightforward: it tracks workouts and closes rings. AirPods Pro 3 consolidate that job into something you were already wearing to listen to music and take calls. One gadget to charge, one less gadget to bear in mind, and one less screen pinging you mid‑set is a real-world quality‑of‑life improvement.
Battery life is a logistical issue. An hour‑plus workout is a comfortable sitting for normal AirPods Pro sessions, and the case top‑ups push that margin. The tradeoff — earbuds that control sound, noise and heart rate at once — will feel freeing for gym‑first people who never liked the always‑there wrist bully of a watch.
The market signaled by the market has been looking
Industry analysts at IDC have long been talking up the fact that “hearables” are the biggest slice of the wearables market in terms of shipment volume. Earbuds are just everywhere and they’re sort of socially invisible in a way that watches are not. Bringing legitimate fitness metrics to a product category that people already spend hours a day interacting with is a classic Apple play: reduce friction, widen the funnel.
There’s a behavioral angle, too. American Psychological Association studies flagged by the platform connect notification overload with heightened stress and decreased focus. With walled-off fitness tracking, many people will adopt the more covert workout schedule while meeting activity goals.
Data, privacy, and health environment
Heart rate data taken by AirPods flows into the Health app, where it’s encrypted on device and can be end‑to‑end encrypted if you choose to turn on the feature in iCloud settings. That matters as earbuds venture into quasi‑medical space; with regulators peering closely at biometrics claims, and open handling of health data will be table stakes.
So, is Watch now outdated?
For casual fitness enthusiasts who mostly exercise to log workouts, see heart rate, and close Move rings, AirPods Pro 3 make a strong case to leave the Watch at home. And the earbuds provide the “good enough” statistics with far less friction — sometimes with stronger signals during really intense movement.
For athletes hunting more advanced metrics, or anyone who appreciates safety alerts, ECG and an always‑on dashboard, the Watch remains in a category by itself. But the ground has begun to move: health is entering our ears. And for a big segment of iPhone owners, that could be the point at which the Watch is no longer a must-have accessory.
