Too Good To Gatekeep: 11 New Apple Fitness Features

It's a tough job, but someone had to put the new devices through their paces.

Sweat testing my Apple Watch Ultra 3 on an easy 5K in Central Park. Photo courtesy Apple.

Music is a not-so-secret, science-backed training superpower. My Taylor Swift playlist has pushed me through everything from an unexpected deadlift PR to groggy morning walks with my dog, Willa. But what if your AirPods were more than fitness motivation…what if they were quietly tracking the workout itself, too?

That wild and wonderful reality is here, and it’s a game changer: AirPods Pro 3 now track your heart rate and log your workouts. I’ve been putting them through their paces along with the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 and watchOS 26 this past week—the latest chapter in my decade of sweat-testing Apple launches. I also sat down with Julz Arney, Senior Director of Fitness Technologies at Apple, and Eric Charles, Senior Manager of watchOS Product Marketing at Apple, to ask every burning, geeky question I had about what these updates mean for how we move. Here’s what stood out…

1. Heart Rate In Your Headphones

The new AirPods Pro 3 ($249, with free case engraving) measure heart rate, calories burned, and support 50+ workout types. “We now have the same algorithms that tracked motion from the wrist working from the head, trained on over 50 million hours of activity,” Eric told me.

I usually train with my watch but flip the face inside my wrist to shield it from kettlebell swings. Now I can leave my Ultra at home or take it off for KB work and still get full workout metrics. When you’re wearing multiple devices, Apple pulls in three heart-rate streams (one sensor in each ear plus the watch) and automatically prioritizes the most accurate one.

Pro tip: don’t ignore the ear tip fit test. There are now five sizes, including XXS, all foam-infused for comfort. I discovered I actually need smalls, not mediums, and the snug fit made all the difference. Through kettlebells, burpees, and sprints they didn’t budge once. And they’re tougher with water now: sweat, rain, and even me dumping water over my head mid–ski erg session didn’t faze them, thanks to the IP57 rating.

~HOT TAKE~
It almost feels like Apple is undercutting its own watch business by integrating serious fitness tech into AirPods. But maybe that’s the point: they seem determined to give us flexible ways to track our health.

2. Texting From The Middle of Nowhere

On an Ice Lake solo hike in Colorado in July, I had no cell service and kept thinking how game-changing this update would be: Apple Watch Ultra 3 ($799) now supports satellite communication. Most importantly, you can text emergency services, but with a cellular plan you can also message friends and family and share your location—all while you’re off the grid. For runners, hikers, ruckers, or anyone who trains out of range, it’s the kind of safety feature you hope never to use but will be grateful for in the moment.

3. A Workout Buddy That Feels Like A Real Coach

“Workout Buddy” is Apple’s fresh spin on fitness motivation, powered by Apple Intelligence. Think voice prompts and nudges based on your history, delivered in real time. “It’s never been about numbers and scores, but about achievable goals,” Julz told me. I tested this feature on a tempo run in Prospect Park, and the encouragement felt more like a coach than a computer—pushing me without burying me in stats.

Yes, my Ultra 3’s Neon Ocean Green watch band ($99) is Best Case Scenario–hued. :) Photo courtesy Apple.

4. Lighter, Brighter, Ultra 3

Ultra 3’s display is Apple’s brightest and sharpest yet. Borders are 24% slimmer, giving you more screen without a bigger case. And wide-angle OLED pixels emit more light for easier at-a-glance viewing. I noticed it mid-run on a bluebird September morning in Central Park—no tilting or shielding needed.

The always-on refresh also leveled up: it now updates once a second instead of once a minute. (You can see a ticking seconds hand without raising your wrist!) The case is made from 3D-printed, 100% recycled titanium—a more sustainable build that uses half the raw material of previous generations.

5. How Recovered Are You, Really?

Sleep Score is Apple’s new recovery lens, giving you a 0–100 rating in the Sleep app that appears shortly after waking. Paired with Training Load (introduced last September), it helps you see how your workouts stack up against rest. So far, my scores hover in the “excellent” range—85 and above—told you I fiercely protect my sleep!

But Julz and Eric were quick to remind me this is context, not an edict on how you should feel. “That run you may want to go on might be the best thing for your mental health [no matter what your sleep score is],” Julz said. Translation: you’re in charge of your body, and sometimes overriding the numbers is the healthiest move.

The rare no Apple Watch Ultra on my wrist–workout, at my local YMCA.

6. “Watching” Your Blood Pressure

Okay, this one isn’t a “fitness” feature in the traditional sense, but it’s a huge health innovation. Hypertension Alerts debut in watchOS 26, FDA-cleared to detect potential high blood pressure patterns over time. They rely on the optical heart sensor and historical HR data, passively reviewing 30 days of trends before sending a notification.

Important: they’re not diagnostic, and you’ll need Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or Ultra 2 or later, to use them. Still, paired with Sleep Score and Training Load, it broadens the definition of “training data”—from performance metrics to long-term health markers. It’s not just about faster splits or heavier lifts; it’s about keeping tabs on the health markers that will keep us moving well into our 40s, 50s, and beyond. Or as Julz said: “We really want to meet people where they’re at with whatever Apple product they have.”

7. Talk Fitness Anywhere

AirPods Pro 3 add Live Translation via Apple Intelligence. At launch: English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified) coming by year-end. Yes, this feature will be awesome for airport navigation and eating out in restaurants abroad…but it’s also a big deal for the growing wellness-travel (retreats, marathons, etc.) crowd. I tested it with a Spanish-speaking Apple employee and instantly thought of my Ruck & Flow adventure in Costa Rica earlier this month. It would’ve been a game changer.

My AirPods Pro 3 created a sound cocoon while I was flying to/from Austin earlier this week.

8. The World Never Sounded This Chill

Apple says Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is twice as effective on AirPods Pro 3 compared to the previous model. And yep, I found that the difference was stark. In the gym, weight clangs melted away so I could really lock in. On my four-hour Austin–JFK flights, the engine/cabin roar dulled to a whisper.

Transparency Mode also got sharper. Voices and traffic sounded crisper and more natural—noticeable on my CitiBike ride as I ran errands in Park Slope. I could keep tabs on my playlist and heart rate while still hearing everything around me.

Safety reminder! Never fully block your environment outdoors. Transparency Mode lets you stay tuned in without feeling sealed off.

9. BYOW (Build Your Own Workout)

With watchOS 26, you can now personalize Workout app views. If you want split pace and current heart rate front and center instead of average pace, you can set it that way. This may sound small, but it’s a sweet tweak—no more scrolling mid-run. On a solo jog in Prospect Park, I loved seeing only the numbers that actually mattered to me.

And for the planners: you can now build custom interval sessions—warmup, work, recovery, cooldown—either directly in the Workout app or in the Fitness app on your iPhone and then sync them to your watch. I used to hack this with third-party apps for quick hotel-gym HIIT; now it’s seamless and native. (Every workout type supports this except Multisport and Open Water Swim.)

10. Your Sweat, Your Soundtrack

The new watchOS 26 also lets you tie default media to workout types. Love a podcast on your walks? A hype playlist for strength training? The watch will cue it up automatically when you start the activity. For me, that meant a new Huberman podcast auto-played on my morning dog walk with Willa, and my “Taylor Faves” playlist kicked in the moment I started lifting weights. (Yes, I’m aware that my audio diet makes me the ultimate wellness trope.)

11. Byyye, Battery Anxiety

Both devices also charge faster than before, which means no more arranging your life around battery anxiety—you can sneak in a meaningful charge while brushing your teeth.

Ultra 3 delivers 42 hours of use (72 in low-power mode). Endurance athletes: in Low Power Mode with full GPS + heart rate, you’ll get 20 continuous hours of outdoor tracking. Fast charging is the clutch backup—15 minutes nets 12 hours of normal use, and 5 minutes gives you enough juice for 8 hours of sleep tracking.

AirPods Pro 3 got smarter power management too (not bigger batteries). It blew my mind that I was able to stretch one case charge across three full days of workouts, commutes, and writing sessions before needing a top-up. And if you’re caught empty, a 5-minute pit stop in the case buys about an hour of listening.

The Final Whistle

Fitness tech usually promises optimized living, PRs, and peak performance. What struck me most this week was how Apple is lowering the bar instead, by reframing errands, playlists, even subway rides as opportunities to move. And honestly? I think that’s an even healthier kind of progress.

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Any questions I can answer on these launches? And what wellness tech should I sweat-test next? Drop your suggestions below!