Apple’s Latest Gen AirPods Pro Have Had A Significant Health Update

Since Apple launched the revolutionary first generation of AirPods in 2016, there’s been subtle updates mainly around sound, noise cancelling and their hearing focused features but a move into health data was naturally on the cards when you look at Apple’s history of tech development. 

This September’s announcements at Apple HQ in California revealed AirPods Pros move into heart rate monitoring, built-into the tech firms’ popular headphones, allowing access to vital heart data without the price tag of an Apple watch.

 

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In the polished Apple apartment in London, the latest updates were effortlessly revealed. Along with demo iPhones and AirPods Pro 3s, we (gently) moved to experience the seamless data collection now on offer through the wireless headphones.  Like most health updates for the tech giant, they’ve made use of the data collected from their heart and movement study that has tracked 250,000 users – 15 million hours worth of stats – equipping them with vital information to build on their commitment to health support.

To be able to fit the sensor into the AirPods, Apple have developed their smallest heart rate sensors yet, successfully fitting them into the small ear pieces.  The PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor uses invisible infrared light that pulses 256 times a second to measure light absorption in blood flow. 

 

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It’s then combined with the built-in accelerometers and gyroscope to accurately measure (PPG takes into account skin type, the lighting environment you’re in and your movement) heart rate and calories burned across more than 50 types of workouts found in the Fitness app. If you’re an Apple Fitness+ user, you’ll know that the only way to project your workout metrics and vitals was through wearing an Apple watch but this latest update unlocks this feature to non-Apple watch wearers and makes it a less clunky affair.  

Personalised fitness also gets granular with Workout Buddy using Apple Intelligence, generating motivational insights and encouragement based on your workout data and fitness history, just when there’s nothing left in the tank. The overall design has also had an upgrade –  the first since the Pro model launched – with more ear tips to choose from to make the fit and seal even tighter – music to our ears, quite literally. 

 

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Perhaps the most practical update though is the protection against sweat, dust and water-resistance – a no-brainer as the earphones are being branded as your ultimate workout tool. 

Live translation might have stolen the headlines back after the Cupertino announcements but it’s updates like these that give us access to important health metrics and allows us to form an understanding of our own health and body baseline, that really set the third gen AirPods Pro  apart from the competition.  Wireless headphones live on.

 

AirPods Pro 3 – APPLE

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