(Credit: PCMag)
Heart disease is a leading cause of death, but in many cases, early detection can prevent catastrophe, which is something Apple is reportedly working on with its next-generation AirPods.
A patent uncovered by Patently Apple tips a way to measure heart activity using an earbud's microphone. "A device that includes a microphone may be worn in or on an ear of a user," Apple's patent application says. "A microphone signal generated by the microphone may be processed to determine a heart activity of a user. An indication of a heart pathology may be detected by applying a predictive algorithm to at least the heart activity."
Heart pathology is another way to say heart disease. The earphones may be able to pick up on bradycardia, tachycardia, an abnormal heartbeat, or "detect blockage in a carotid artery...using an artificial neural network." It may also determine pulse transit time, which could help determine the wearer's blood pressure.
Apple has reportedly been working on blood pressure monitoring with its Apple Watch, which already has a heart rate sensor and added electrocardiogram (ECG) several years ago. Newer models like the Series 10 also support sleep-apnea detection.
Patent applications do not always translate into actual products. But earlier this month, 9to5Mac reported that Apple was testing AirPods with a heart rate sensor for the AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025. Last summer, Bloomberg also reported that Apple was looking to add sensors to the AirPods to determine body temperature via a wearer’s ear canal.
Earlier this month, Apple added support for hearing aid tech to its AirPods Pro 2.