With iOS 26, Powerbeats Pro 2 get a heart rate sensor like AirPods Pro 3
With the launch of iOS 26 (release date: 15 September 2025), Beats will update the features of the Powerbeats Pro 2 headphones to bring them closer to the AirPods Pro 3 in terms of health and fitness monitoring.
New features:
- Real-time tracking: you can now watch your heart rate directly during your workouts in the Apple Fitness app, rather than viewing previous statistics
- Supports up to 50 different types of workouts with heart rate and calorie burn.
- Synchronisation with Apple Fitness+: heart rate, calories, progress graph, and more will appear on the screen.
- Step counting - even when you don't have your iPhone or Apple Watch with you.
- From now on, only one earbud can track your heart rate if the other is not in your ear.
- Tips: if the earbuds don't fit properly, you'll get tips on how to adjust them to make your readings more accurate.
- Improved algorithm for faster heart rate readings.
What's changed
When the Powerbeats Pro 2 were released in February 2025, they already had built-in heart rate sensors - optical sensors (LEDs) in both headphones, but there were limitations: heart rate could be collected by third-party fitness apps (Nike Run Club, Peloton, etc.), but did not work fully with Apple Fitness or Apple Fitness+; it was impossible to see your heart rate in real time during training. That is, the iOS 26 update removes (or significantly minimises) these limitations, bringing the functionality to the level of AirPods Pro 3.
Nuances
In-ear heart rate tracking is not approved by many medical institutions, so it may not be available in some countries. Also, if you are wearing both Powerbeats Pro 2 (AirPods Pro 3) and Apple Watch, the system will give priority to data from the watch.
Significance.
Beats Electronics has been owned by Apple since 2014, so its engineers could test this technology in real conditions before launching it under the Apple brand. During such "field tests", the company made adjustments to the technology and released an updated version.
Source: www.theverge.com
