AirPods Pro 3 Add Heart-Rate Sensor and On-Device AI

Apple used its iPhone 17 event to push earbuds deeper into the health space: the AirPods Pro 3 add a small infrared heart-rate sensor and an on-device AI model that tracks heart rate and calories, while also upgrading noise cancellation, sound clarity, real-time translation, and water resistance.

What’s new in AirPods Pro 3

The headline feature is the pulse-reading earpiece. Using a tiny infrared optical sensor and new on-device machine learning, the AirPods Pro 3 can measure heart rate during activity and relay those metrics to the Apple Fitness app. That same local intelligence powers 'Workout Buddy,' a coaching experience that personalizes motivation and shows live metrics like heart rate, calories, and Burn Bar for Apple Fitness Plus subscribers.

• Infrared heart-rate sensor in the earpiece for on-device tracking
• On-device AI model estimates heart rate and calories without sending raw sensor data to the cloud
• Improved active noise cancellation, clearer audio, real-time translation, and water resistance for workouts

Why the sensor matters

Putting a heart-rate sensor in earbuds broadens where and how biometric signals are captured. The ear canal and concha can yield stable optical readings during movement, and on-device processing reduces privacy exposure and latency. For users, that means workouts and walks can include live coaching and real-time metrics even if they don’t wear a smartwatch.

But it also raises practical questions: will ear-based heart-rate readings match wrist-based sensors like the Apple Watch? How will data synchronization work if someone wears both? And how accurate will calorie estimates be across different users, activities, and fit profiles? Real-world validation will matter more than marketing demos.

Considerations for developers and organizations

Product teams, fitness platforms, and health providers evaluating the AirPods Pro 3 should focus on three practical steps:

• Benchmark accuracy against chest straps and wrist wearables across activities and skin tones
• Design syncing logic and conflict-resolution if multiple devices report biometrics simultaneously
• Prioritize privacy-preserving models and clear user consent around biometric collection and retention

For health systems, regulators, and enterprise teams, the emergence of ear-based biometrics means updating validation plans and compliance checks. Fitness app vendors will need to decide whether to accept ear-derived metrics as primary inputs or merge them with other sensors.

Bottom line and availability

AirPods Pro 3 are available for preorder now and hit stores on Sept. 19, starting at $249. The addition of an on-ear heart-rate sensor and local ML for fitness coaching is a notable step: it blends convenience with new data sources, but meaningful value will come from how accurately and responsibly that data is used.

QuarkyByte's approach is to treat these announcements as the start of a validation and integration journey: benchmark sensors, model-test in the wild, design sync rules between devices, and map privacy and compliance implications before you build features that depend on new biometric streams.