Skip to content

AirPods & Beats Heart Rate

Use the heart-rate sensor in your AirPods or Beats earbuds as a workout heart-rate source — no chest strap required.

Experimental / in testing

This is a newer feature that's still being refined. It lives in the experimental section of Settings, and its behavior may change between updates. The caveats below are important — please read them before relying on it.

iOS 26 · Premium · Apple Health

Requires iOS 26, an active Premium subscription, and Apple Health turned on, with compatible AirPods or Beats earbuds.

What it does

When enabled, Treadmill Assistant starts a live Apple Health workout session that reads heart rate from your AirPods or Beats during the workout:

  • Heart rate is shown live on the Heart Rate card and recorded in Apple Health.
  • It's a convenient HR source when you don't want to wear a chest strap or arm band.

Caveats — please read first

A Bluetooth heart rate strap takes priority

If you also connect a Bluetooth HR monitor (chest strap or arm band), the strap takes priority and supplies heart rate instead of the earbuds.

Readings can lag slightly

Heart rate from earbuds arrives through Apple Health and may update a little behind real time. Short gaps between updates are normal.

"Start without waiting for monitor"

A second toggle appears once the live session is on: Start without waiting for monitor. With it enabled, workouts can begin immediately using AirPods/Beats while your Bluetooth monitor (if you use one) still connects in the background. Leave it off if you'd rather wait for your usual monitor before the belt starts.

Wear them properly

Earbud heart-rate sensing depends on a good fit in the ear. A loose or partially inserted earbud can drop or distort readings.

Enabling it

  1. Open the Settings tab (gear icon).
  2. Find the Experimental Features section and expand it.
  3. Under AirPods & Beats, turn on Live workout session.
  4. Optionally turn on Start without waiting for monitor.

Troubleshooting

No heart rate from the earbuds

Problem: Heart rate stays blank or shows another source.

Solutions:

  • If a Bluetooth HR strap is connected, it takes priority — disconnect it to let the earbuds supply heart rate.
  • Confirm the earbuds are in your ears and connected to the iPhone.
  • Make sure Apple Health is enabled and you're on iOS 26 with Premium.

The workout waits before starting

Problem: The belt doesn't start until a monitor connects.

Solution: Turn on Start without waiting for monitor so workouts begin on AirPods/Beats while your Bluetooth monitor connects in the background.

Next steps

Need more help? Visit our Help & Support page.