How to use GymKit with your iPhone and AirPods Pro 3 in iOS 27

One of the most useful fitness upgrades in iOS 27 is that you can now use GymKit with your iPhone and AirPods Pro 3, without needing an Apple Watch.

AirPods Pro 3 have a built-in heart rate sensor that can continuously track your heart rate during a workout. Combine that with your iPhone and a GymKit-compatible treadmill or other cardio machine, and you can get an experience that's surprisingly close to working out with an Apple Watch.

Your AirPods Pro 3 track your heart rate, your gym equipment provides accurate workout data, and your iPhone brings everything together inside the Fitness app.

Here's how it works.

What is Apple GymKit?

GymKit is Apple's technology for connecting your Apple devices directly to compatible gym equipment.

Until iOS 27, GymKit was mainly an Apple Watch feature. You could tap your Apple Watch against a compatible treadmill, bike or other machine and the two devices would exchange workout information.

With iOS 27, GymKit expands to the iPhone, making it possible to use compatible gym equipment together with your iPhone and AirPods Pro 3.

This is particularly useful if you don't own an Apple Watch, forgot it at home, or simply don't want to wear one while working out.

What you'll need

Before getting started, you'll need:

• An iPhone running iOS 27

• AirPods Pro 3

• Heart Rate monitoring enabled for your AirPods

• A GymKit-compatible exercise machine

GymKit can be found on supported cardio equipment such as treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals and stair steppers.

Look for the GymKit or Apple Watch connection symbol on the machine. Not every machine or gym supports GymKit.

Step 1: Connect your AirPods Pro 3

First, open your AirPods Pro 3 case near your iPhone. You should see the AirPods connection pop-up appear on your screen, like the one shown below.

iOS GUIDE

Next, put your AirPods Pro 3 in your ears and make sure they're connected to your iPhone.
You can also check the connection by opening:

Settings → Your AirPods Pro

If your AirPods are connected, you'll see them listed near the top of the Settings menu.

Step 2: Make sure Heart Rate is enabled

Heart rate monitoring is normally enabled automatically, but it's worth checking before heading to the gym.

With your AirPods connected:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.

2. Tap your AirPods Pro near the top of Settings.

3. Find Heart Rate. If you are using iOS 27 Beta with AirPods Beta Firmware you can enable Heart Rate under Privacy → Heart Rate.

4. Make sure Heart Rate is enabled.

AirPods Pro 3 use their built-in in-ear heart rate sensors to continuously measure your heart rate during a workout

.

Tip: Make sure your AirPods fit properly. The heart rate sensor needs good contact with the skin inside your ear to get an accurate reading.

Step 3: Find a GymKit-compatible machine

Now find a treadmill or another cardio machine that supports Apple GymKit.

Look around the console for the GymKit connection area. On compatible equipment, this is where you would normally hold an Apple Watch to connect it. But in iOS 27, you can use your iPhone instead.

Step 4: Tap your iPhone against the GymKit reader

Unlock your iPhone and hold the top of your iPhone close to the GymKit reader on the exercise machine.

It works a little like using Apple Pay or another NFC accessory.

Your iPhone should recognize the machine and give you the option to connect.

For example, when connecting to a compatible treadmill, you may be able to choose a workout such as:

Indoor Walk or Indoor Run

Select the workout you want to start.

Step 5: Start your workout

Once everything is connected, start the workout on the gym equipment.

This is where the combination of all three devices becomes really useful.

Your AirPods Pro 3 provide your heart rate.

The gym equipment provides machine-specific information, such as your distance, pace and incline.

And your iPhone records the complete workout.

You essentially have three devices working together:

AirPods Pro 3 → heart rate ❤️

Gym equipment → distance, pace, incline and other machine data 🏃‍♂️

iPhone → records and displays your workout 📱

It's very similar to the GymKit experience that previously required an Apple Watch.

Step 6: Follow your workout on your iPhone

During the workout, your iPhone becomes your workout screen.

Depending on the machine and workout, you'll be able to follow metrics such as:

• Heart rate

• Workout time

• Distance

• Pace

• Incline

• Active calories

• Total calories

The advantage of GymKit is that your iPhone doesn't have to estimate everything itself.

For example, a treadmill knows exactly how far its belt has moved and what incline you're using. Your AirPods provide your actual heart rate, while GymKit combines those measurements into one workout.

Step 7: End your workout

When you're finished, end the workout on the exercise machine.

Your workout information is then available on your iPhone.

Open:

Fitness → Summary

and select your workout to see your recorded metrics.

Your heart rate data is also stored in the Health app.

Go to:

Health → Scroll down to see Heart Rate and tap for more detailed information.

Your AirPods Pro 3 basically become a mini Apple Watch

This is what makes the new GymKit support in iOS 27 so interesting.

Normally, an Apple Watch provides important workout information such as your heart rate while the gym equipment provides information about the actual machine.

With AirPods Pro 3, you already have a heart rate sensor sitting in your ears.

That means your setup can now look like this:

iPhone + AirPods Pro 3 + GymKit machine

instead of:

iPhone + Apple Watch + GymKit machine

It's especially handy if your Apple Watch battery is dead, you forgot your Watch at home, or you simply don't own one.

Can you use AirPods Pro 3 for workouts without GymKit?

Yes.

You don't need a GymKit machine to use the heart rate sensor inside AirPods Pro 3.

Open the Fitness app on your iPhone and go to:

Fitness → Workout

With your AirPods Pro 3 connected, you can start a supported workout directly from your iPhone and see your heart rate and other workout metrics.

Connecting to GymKit simply makes the experience more accurate for compatible exercise machines because the machine can provide information that your iPhone and AirPods can't measure as precisely on their own.

What if you also have an Apple Watch?

You can still use your Apple Watch.

In fact, when you wear both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3, Apple can use heart rate information from both devices and automatically choose the highest-confidence heart rate source at that moment.

But the big change with iOS 27 is that an Apple Watch is no longer essential for this type of GymKit workout.

Your iPhone + AirPods Pro 3 can now do much of the work themselves.

Final thoughts

For me, personally this might be one of the most underrated fitness features in iOS 27.

AirPods Pro 3 aren't just playing your workout playlist anymore. Their built-in heart rate sensor can turn them into an actual fitness device, while your iPhone becomes your workout computer.

Add a GymKit-compatible treadmill or cardio machine and you can track heart rate, distance, pace, incline, calories and more. All without wearing an Apple Watch.

Pretty cool for something that's already sitting in your pocket and your ears.

Pro tip: Want to check your GymKit settings? Go to Settings → Apps → Fitness → GymKit. From here, you can turn on Detect Gym Equipment to make it easier to connect your iPhone to compatible gym equipment.

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