Apple Reportedly Developing Screenless Fitness Tracker to Rival Whoop

The prototypes have a thin fabric band with a sensor-equipped computing module, according to the report. The project remains in a technology investigation phase. Bloomberg says it has support from top Apple executives, including Eddy Cue and Tim Cook. Cue took charge of Apple’s health team last October after Jeff Williams departed. Cue has pushed the health team to adopt features from newer rivals, whose products offer simpler interfaces focused on fitness and health tracking, while the Apple Watch serves a broader range of purposes.

Whoop and Oura Ring are popular among people who want to track their health and fitness without wearing a smartwatch. Oura is preparing for an IPO and recently said it sold 3.6 million Oura Rings in the 12 months ending June 30, according to Reuters. Revenue for the nine months ending June 30 grew 74 percent to $1.21 billion. Apple remains dominant in the smartwatch market, and the Apple Watch offers a wider array of features than health-focused wearables such as Oura and Whoop.

The Verge reported that Whoop sells 5.0 bands and medical-grade, or MG, variants with a built-in EKG feature. The bands are designed to be worn continuously and offer more than 14 days of battery life. Bloomberg pointed out that Apple has already added features offered by Whoop to its new Apple Watch Series 12, including continuous heart rate tracking. Apple’s Health app now includes a readiness score used by Fitbit, Oura and Whoop, intended to indicate how ready a user is to work out based on several factors, along with an estimate of biological age.

Bloomberg also said Apple is working on a major update to its smartwatch lineup for release as early as late 2027. The redesign would follow years of incremental changes. Apple made its main watch thinner with the Series 10 two years ago, but the larger Ultra model has kept the same look since its debut four years ago.