Looks like Apple’s upcoming AirPods Pro 3 are going to double down on health. According to an anonymous tip shared with 9to5Mac, the new earbuds will feature both in-ear temperature sensing and heart-rate monitoring — but the much-rumored live translation won’t be ready at launch. Instead, translation will reportedly arrive later in a software update.
Health First: Heart-Rate and Temperature
Apple has been inching toward turning AirPods into health accessories for years. Bloomberg flagged these features back in late 2024, and since then, heart-rate sensing has already made its way into the Powerbeats Pro. So it feels like a no-brainer for the AirPods Pro 3.
Temperature sensing, on the other hand, has been more mysterious — but if true, it could be a handy addition for wellness tracking and maybe even fitness use.
Live Translation: Just Not Yet
This one stings a little. The idea of AirPods automatically translating conversations in real time sounds like science fiction becoming reality. Apple’s iOS 26 beta even hinted at how it might work, using the iPhone’s Translate app as the brains of the operation.
Imagine chatting with someone in Spanish, and your AirPods just whisper the English back to you — seamless. Sadly, it seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer before this dream feature rolls out.
The Big Picture
New health sensors make a lot of sense (pun intended), especially since iOS 18 already gave AirPods a boost in hearing health features like hearing tests and hearing aid-style support. Add in the expected design tweaks, audio upgrades, and firmware-wide improvements, and the AirPods Pro 3 are shaping up to be one of the most interesting updates yet.
We’ll know for sure soon — Apple is expected to unveil them alongside the iPhone 17 lineup at its “Awe dropping” event on September 9.
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