Unlock Apple’s Game-Changing Health Features That Could Transform Your Wellness Overnight—Are You Ready to Feel the Difference?
After years of strapping on every Apple Watch and fitness gadget that’s hit the market, I thought I’d seen it all — every beep, buzz, and biometric stat imaginable. But just when I started to mutter, “Okay, Apple, what else could possibly be next?” along came their latest lineup, packed with upgrades that genuinely blew me away. It’s like they’ve taken a magnifying glass to women’s health and fitness, crafting devices that don’t just track data but actually change how we engage with our bodies and wellbeing. Curious about how the Apple Watch can now throw a nudge for high blood pressure or how AirPods just became your workout’s new best friend? Let’s dive into the three standout features that could totally revamp your health game—and trust me, you’ll want to know about these. LEARN MORE
For years, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing and gear-testing plenty of Apple’s biggest health and fitness tech launches. From the steady evolution of the Apple Watch Series to the arrival of the first-ever Ultra sport watch, I’ve pushed these devices through workouts and adventures, and geeked out over every sensor and stat Apple has managed to cram into these little devices.
Each fall, once again, I start thinking, Okay, they’ve done it all, what else could they possibly add? But then Apple goes and proves me wrong. This year’s announcements packed in even more health and fitness updates that actually surprised me, and I don’t say that lightly.
These are the three upgrades and launches that, in my opinion, could actually change the way women track and interact with their health information, move their bodies, and build routines that stick.
The Apple Watch can now detect high blood pressure.
Arguably the buzziest health announcement out of Apple Park was how the tech giant is tackling cardiovascular health even more directly by introducing hypertension notifications. If the watch detects consistently elevated blood pressure readings, it will notify you with a “possible hypertension” alert, signaling that it might be time to check in with a healthcare provider.
It’s not designed to diagnose hypertension (and it, of course, won’t catch every instance in every wearer), and it does not provide you with numerical readings. But it could provide an important, potentially life-saving nudge toward earlier awareness. High blood pressure often has no obvious symptoms, and women in particular often go undiagnosed, so a subtle signal from a wearable you already have on every day has real potential impact. I was also curious as to whether these alerts could be used to help detect or monitor blood pressure issues during pregnancy and postpartum, such as preeclampsia, but this feature is not recommended for use by pregnant women.
The new feature is not limited to the latest watch: users with a Series 9 and newer device will also have this upgrade. Apple is still working toward FDA clearance for the possible hypertension alert feature.
Other notable Apple Watch Series 11 features:
Fast charging (get eight hours of battery life in 15 minutes)
24-hour battery life
Even more scratch-resistant
Series 11 is $399 and available September 19.
Pre-Order Apple Watch Series 11
The new sleep score feature helps you better understand how to improve your quality of sleep.
Sleep score takes the watch’s existing sleep tracking a step further by adding context to your sleep quality—instead of only seeing how long you were asleep. If you sleep in your Apple Watch, you’ll get a daily score that reflects overall sleep quality, factoring in things like consistency, bedtime routine, and restlessness. The idea is to get clearer sense of how restorative your sleep actually was, not just how much you got.
That said, sleep score isn’t meant to be a coaching tool. It won’t tell you, for instance, what to change or offer recommendations. It’s there to give you clearer feedback, leaving the adjustments up to you. To get sleep score, you’ll need watchOS 26, which you can run on Apple Watches Series 6 or later.
AirPods now have in-ear heart rate sensors to provide better workout feedback.
The newest iteration of AirPods—AirPods Pro 3—includes a notable health and fitness update: the addition of a built-in heart rate sensor. The upgrade pushes the earbuds beyond just excellent sound quality for your workout playlist and into the realm of true health tech.
By measuring heart rate directly from the ear canal, AirPods help collect even more heart rate data and can feed that into the Fitness app on your iPhone. The Fitness app will automatically use the most accurate HR reading, either from your watch or AirPods, to provide you with the most accurate HR information and calorie burn metrics.
The added HR reading coverage is particularly useful for people who either are not Apple Watch users or who don’t want to or forget to wear their watch, but still want reliable stats.
Or, if you’re like me and your watch tends to shift around during workouts, the in-ear sensor offers a steadier way to capture heart rate without the constant wrist readjustments. (For example, when I’m using kettlebells, I slide my watch higher up my forearm to keep it out of the way—and that shifting around probably throws off the heart rate tracking.)
Apple also redesigned the shape of the AirPods Pro 3 to stay more secure during higher-intensity movement, something I’ve had issues with since the first generation. They also upgraded active noise cancellation (2x better than the Pro 2, and 4x stronger than the originals), and I noticed a massive difference when I compared my Pro 2s to the Pro 3s.
Other notable AirPods Pro 3 features:
Live translation
Even better spatial listening experience
Accurate fitness data for up to 50 different workout types
Eight-hour charge with noise cancellation, or 10 hours in Transparency mode
AirPods Pro 3 retail for $249 and are available September 19.
Other Buzzy Apple Updates To Know About
- The thinnest iPhone ever is here. They introduced the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, as well as the brand-new iPhone Air, which is ultra-thin and sleek without sacrificing capabilities and performance.
- The Ultra 3 is even more reliable off the grid. Apple’s adventure watch now has satellite connectivity and battery life that lasts up to 42 hours, so it’s an even better safety net in an emergency situation.
- AirPods Pro 3 have live translation. Just by holding the stems of each AirPod, you can hear another language interpreted in real time in your ear and reply with your iPhone displaying the translation—super useful for travel or day-to-day situations where language is a barrier. (Any AirPod models with active noise cancellation will offer this feature.)
Jacqueline Andriakos, CPT, is the executive health and fitness director at Women’s Health, where she oversees all health and fitness content across WomensHealthMag.com and the print magazine. She has more than a decade of experience covering the wellness space and has edited ASME-nominated health features, spearheaded brand packages such as Fitness Awards, and represented the brand on the TODAY show, podcasts, and more. Before Women’s Health, Jacqueline was the deputy health features editor at Self.com, and previously worked as the senior editor at Health magazine. As a writer-reporter, she has contributed to print and online publications including TIME, Real Simple, and People, among others. A dancer throughout her youth, Jacqueline went on to study journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and stoked her passion for health and fitness during her college years, ultimately inspiring her to make women’s health content the focus of her media career. She is constantly researching the latest health and wellness trends, trying a buzzy new workout class, hiking and snowboarding, or browsing athleisure. Her friends would describe her as the confidant to turn to for fitness and wellness advice, not to mention answers to any weird body questions. Jacqueline is also a former group exercise instructor and is a certified personal trainer via the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Post Comment