Report: Future AirPods Models Will Prioritize New Health Features

AirPods have been one of Apple's biggest hits of the last decade, and the company apparently has big plans for their future. Just weeks after launching hearing health features in iOS 18.1 for the AirPods Pro 2, a new report indicates that health will be a big priority for future AirPods models.

AirPods being 'repositioned' to focus on health

Today, Ming-Chi Kuo writes about Apple's plans for future AirPods models. From his Medium post:

Following the success of the Apple Watch, AirPods are refocused on health management, with future models set to integrate more health management features.

Kuo's report doesn't go into detail, except to highlight one key point: health is a big part of Apple's plans for future AirPods.

This move makes a lot of sense. The hearing aid, hearing test, and hearing protection features in iOS 18.1 were very well received. And there’s a lot of potential for adding new sensors to a device you wear on your body.

Following the Apple Watch’s lead would give Apple an opportunity to differentiate AirPods and make them a more valuable asset to users.

Apple Watch Strategy Could Make AirPods More Indispensable

The Apple Watch may be great for checking the time and getting notifications, but health monitoring elevates the device to a higher level of importance. The same thing will likely happen with AirPods in a few years.

Mark Gurman previously reported:

There is also engineering work underway to add sensors to the AirPods so they can detect body temperature through the wearer's ear canal. This type of data is believed to be more accurate than wrist temperature.

Body temperature and hearing health may be just the beginning of a big new direction for Apple's AirPods.

What health features do you want from future AirPods? Let us know in the comments.