During yesterday"s "It"s Glowtime" event, along with the products, Apple also released the iOS 18 RC update. Recent discoveries reveal that the iOS 18 RC update lets you pause a video in the middle of a video recording on supported iPhones.
Now, evidence within the iOS 18 RC update suggests that Apple is testing health sensors in its wireless earbuds. This code also corroborates a previous leak, which hinted that Apple could launch a new generation of AirPods Pro next year with health sensors.
According to 9To5Mac, Apple is developing a host of health-related features, confirmed by the codes in the latest iOS 18 RC update. The latest beta includes a code related to the heart-rate sensor, reading "Wear both earbuds during workouts to track and send your heart rate to Apple Health. Manage in Bluetooth settings."
Notably, this string is a part of the system component that lets you set up your Apple wireless earbuds such as AirPods and Beats. Reportedly, the new generation of AirPods, rumored to launch in 2025, won"t be the only earbuds to feature health sensors. Apple is also purportedly planning to add health sensors to the next generation of Powerbeats Pro.
Apple has already teased the launch of the Powerbeats Pro next year and assets in the iOS 18 RC giving us a much closer look at the earbuds. Bloomberg"s Mark Gurman has previously tipped that the new generation of AirPods Pro will feature a new design and will be powered by a new chip enabling health features.
While it is unclear when Apple will unveil the Powerbeats Pro and the new-gen AirPods Pro with health sensors, for now, you can currently purchase the new models of the AirPods 4 and an upgraded AirPods Max. Do note that both models of the AirPods 4 do not include a USB-C cable inside the product box.