Apple is Reportedly Working on Screenless Fitness Tracker

Apple is reportedly exploring an expansion of its wearable device lineup by adding a screenless fitness tracker. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has been working on prototypes for several months with support from top company executives, but the company is still undecided about its future.

Overall, Apple’s current prototypes appear to be quite similar to competing screenless fitness trackers from Whoop and Google, which recently released its $99 Fitbit Air. “The prototypes feature a thin fabric band with a sensor-equipped computing module,” Gurman wrote today.

While the Apple Watch already gives Apple a leading position in the wearables market, there’s a growing appetite for simpler fitness trackers with longer battery life. Regular Apple Watch models need to be charged every day, and Apple’s smartwatches probably work more like companion devices for iPhone users, with the ability to mirror all phone notifications on the wrist.

According to Gurman, Apple’s senior vice president of Services and Health, has recently “pushed Apple’s health team to adopt features from the newer rivals, whose products offer simpler interfaces focused squarely on fitness and health tracking.” A revamped Apple Health app with new Insights and Longevity tabs is also coming later this year via an upcoming update to iOS 27.

While Apple’s rival to existing screenless fitness trackers is probably years away, Gurman previously reported that Apple was planning a big Apple Watch redesign that may come as soon as next year. The latest Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, which started shipping on September 18, came with a new Health Sensing System designed to improve heart rate sensing accuracy, as well as new ambient intelligence features.