Summary
Apple’s iOS 27 overview adds GymKit support to iPhone and says AirPods Pro 3 can track heart rate during workouts. The update also introduces a Custom EQ for adjusting AirPods sound.
Apple’s iOS 27 overview lists a new workout feature for AirPods Pro 3: the earbuds can track heart rate while the wearer exercises. The same update brings GymKit to iPhone, allowing the phone to connect to compatible cardio equipment and show real-time workout metrics.
AirPods Pro 3 become part of the workout setup
Apple says compatible cardio equipment includes treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and stair-steppers. With GymKit on iPhone, those machines can connect with the phone for real-time metrics. The iOS 27 page specifically adds that AirPods Pro 3 can be used to track heart rate during a workout.
That makes the feature more than an audio change. The AirPods become part of the fitness-data setup, while the iPhone acts as the connection point for supported gym equipment. Apple’s overview does not describe the heart-rate sensing method or identify the apps and screens where the measurements will appear, so the announcement establishes the feature but not its technical measurement details.
The page does not provide a list of compatible cardio-machine models. Its description instead identifies the equipment categories covered by GymKit and qualifies the connection as requiring compatible equipment.
A new way to tune AirPods sound
Separately, iOS 27 introduces AirPods Custom EQ. Apple says users can adjust the low, mid and high frequencies in AirPods settings to personalise how their AirPods sound.
Equalisation changes the relative level of frequency ranges in audio. In practical terms, the controls can be used to change the balance between lower-frequency sound, the middle range where much speech and many instruments sit, and higher-frequency detail. Apple’s page does not specify which AirPods models support the setting beyond separately naming AirPods Pro 3 for workout heart-rate tracking.
Where the features fit in iOS 27
The AirPods changes appear among broader iOS 27 updates, including a redesigned Siri AI experience, photo-editing tools, parental controls, Safari improvements and system-performance refinements. Apple describes Siri AI as available in beta in iOS 27 and rolling out in English, but that language qualification applies to Siri AI rather than serving as a stated requirement for the AirPods workout feature.
Apple also states that iOS 27 features may change and that some features, applications and services may not be available in every region or language. The company has not provided a release date or detailed availability schedule for the AirPods Pro 3 heart-rate feature on the supplied iOS 27 page.