Powerbeats Pro 2: Problems with the connection to fitness equipment

The new Powerbeats Pro 2 of the Apple subsidiary Beats are suitable for sports, have a good sound and Apple's current audio chips-and even integrated health tracking with a heart rate sensor for the ear area. However, this does not work quite as easily as you know it from the Apple Watch, for example, users report.

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Heart rate and audio always from a device

The fitness Youtuber DC Rainmaker has found that the plugs in connection with fitness equipment A crucial problem have: If you want to use it to transfer heart rate data to a treadmill, a stepper, a stand -up or another sports instrument, you cannot listen to music from the iPhone at the same time. Only a connection between the Powerbeats Pro 2 and another device is allowed, which then covers both channels – i.e. music and heart rate data.

“You cannot listen to music with the iPhone at the same time and be connected to a fitness device for the heart rate (data),” Beats confirmed to DC Rainmaker. Accordingly, one has to hope that the fitness device will provide its own content – for example via Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or a television reception -, which can then be transferred to the Powerbeats Pro 2 via Bluetooth, otherwise the sports session will not be out of entertaining.

Android works (still) better

Another problem with the Powerbeats Pro 2 is the app coverage. There are currently only a surprisingly fewer fitness programs on the iPhone that accept the heart rate measurement of the plugs. DC Rainmaker did not succeed at any app, he reached for an Android device, where it worked for many known programs. After all, the Nike Run Club app worked in the Mac & I test, Beats himself has so far listed peloton, running or slopes.

A direct support of Apple's fitness app is not intended for the Powerbeats Pro 2, the data can reach the health database via a third party software such as Nike Run Club. In addition, the plugs are always outside when you have an Apple Watch: If you wear Powerbeats Pro 2 and Apple Watch at the same time, only the data of the watch is used, which Apple apparently considers more precisely.