Apple AirPods May Launch With Body Temperature Tracking And Advanced Health Features

Cupertino-based Apple is planning to switch to USB-C on all AirPods models, starting with the AirPods Pro as early as this year.

Apple may be adding several useful health features to the AirPods and AirPods Pro, such as body temperature tracking and hearing aid, says Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Among the most innovative features of AirPods would be the integration of advanced hearing health functionalities, which would let AirPods determine a user's hearing abilities through a "specialised hearing test". This is quite similar to how the Apple Watch's ECG app helps with heart conditions. The tech giant has been attempting to look for opportunities to position AirPods as an alternative to conventional hearing aids and grab a big pie of the $10 billion-a-year hearing aid space.

What To Expect From Apple AirPods

The Cupertino-based tech behemoth is planning to switch to USB-C on all AirPods models, starting with the AirPods Pro as early as this year. Apple is also looking at price cuts and introducing cheaper models. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 will also work with the Vision Pro, Gurman said in a tweet. 

This is in line with famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's estimate from March where he had said that Apple is working to introduce AirPods Pro with USB-C charging case later this year. The tech giant is planning to introduce the second-generation AirPods Pro later in 2023 and mass shipments are likely to start in the second or third quarter of the year, according to information by Kuo of TF International Securities.

As per Gurman's weekly newsletter, the iPhone maker has big plans to include health features in the next iteration of AirPods and AirPods Pro. Apple traditionally follows a 3-year timeline to update its AirPods lineup. Since Apple had launched AirPods 3rd gen in 2021 and AirPods Pro 2nd gen last year, we can't expect them to launch almost immediately.