Beatcast
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Heart rate from AirPods Pro 3 on iPhone

Updated

Short answer

Beatcast shows heart rate from AirPods Pro 3 earbuds live on an iPhone, in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen, while a session runs. Pick the AirPods Pro 3 row in the sensor list and allow heart rate and workouts in the Health app. The first reading usually arrives within a few seconds.

Last checked: 12 October 2026.

What works, and what to expect

  • Works: live heart rate in an iPhone app that asks Health for it.
  • Works, with a catch: it only measures while a workout runs. When the workout ends, the readings stop.
  • Won't work: a stream while you are not in a workout, and Beatcast on an iPad. The earbuds route is iPhone only.

Where Apple shows it

Apple's own support page says Heart Rate is on by default. To change it, open Settings on your iPhone, tap the name of your AirPods, and look for the Heart Rate switch. If it is not listed, tap Privacy first.

During a workout the number appears in the Fitness app. Afterwards you find it in Health, under Search, Heart, Heart Rate. That is the whole built-in story, and for plenty of people it is enough.

Why a third-party app asks for workouts

Heart rate from the earbuds is delivered inside a workout session. So an app that wants it live has to ask for two things the first time: to read your heart rate, and to read and record workouts. Apple's page describes the same two permissions.

That second request sounds greedy. The session is how the number reaches the app at all.

What you do in Beatcast

  1. Put in at least one earbud and make sure it is connected to your iPhone.
  2. In Beatcast, open the sensor list and pick the row named "AirPods Pro 3 or Powerbeats Pro 2". It says it goes through the Health app, not Bluetooth.
  3. Beatcast explains what it is about to ask for. Tap Continue.
  4. On the Health sheet, allow reading and saving Heart Rate and Workouts.
  5. Start a session. The row reads "Waiting for the first reading", and the first number takes a few seconds.

Beatcast asks for this access only when you choose this row. The one thing it reads is live heart rate during a session. Finished sessions go to Health only if you also turn on Save to Apple Health in Settings. It asks for nothing at launch.

If no reading arrives, Beatcast says so and points to the two usual causes: Heart Rate switched off in the earbuds' settings, and Heart Rate switched off under Settings, Privacy & Security, Health, Beatcast.

One earbud or two

Apple's AirPods page says to wear at least one earbud with the AirPods connected to your iPhone. It is silent on whether both are needed. Beats' Powerbeats Pro 2 page says one works on iPhone and that wearing both may help. Treat that as Apple's word.

With an Apple Watch on your wrist

If you wear both, Apple says the source with the highest confidence at that moment is used. Which one that is on a given afternoon is Apple's call. Apple Watch as the sensor does not work in Beatcast. The earbuds do.

Where Beatcast fits

If you want zones, a ceiling alert or the number in a big readout, an app can take the reading from there. The reading goes through the same screens as any other sensor in Beatcast: the large readout, your zones and the session log.

Beatcast on the App Store. Fourteen days free, then one purchase. A sensor is required, and the earbuds count as one.

Questions

Can I see AirPods Pro 3 heart rate on the Lock Screen?

Apple shows it in the Fitness app during a workout. A Lock Screen number needs an app that provides one. See the guide to the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.

Do I need an Apple Watch?

No. Heart rate from AirPods Pro 3 reaches an iPhone app without one. The guide to heart rate monitors without an Apple Watch lists the other routes.

Is it as accurate as a strap?

We cannot say. DC Rainmaker's AirPods Pro 3 sports and fitness review has measured comparisons, and that is where to look.

Does it work on Android?

Beatcast is iPhone only. Apple's Powerbeats page describes a different Android route for those earbuds, and the Powerbeats Pro 2 page has the details.

Good to know

Beatcast is not a medical device. It is built for training and general wellbeing, and it cannot detect, diagnose, treat or monitor any condition. If something about your heart worries you, talk to a doctor rather than to an app.

Apple, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Health, Dynamic Island and Lock Screen are trademarks of Apple Inc. Powerbeats and Beats are trademarks of Beats Electronics, LLC. Other names belong to their owners and are used only to say which sensors Beatcast can read. Beatcast is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by any of them.

Got it working, or not? Say so in r/beatcast and it goes on the list.