But that’s only going to be a useful feature if the data is reasonably accurate.
So how do these headphones stack up against those established methods?
Not well, Im afraid.
Not well at all.
Okay, so, maybe the headphones data is slightly less accurate, or slightly less reliable.
But how much less?
But take a look at my results and see for yourself.
Outdoors, it was cold, and I wore abuffover my ears.
I did the same mini workout for each test, except where noted.
I used my trusty Coospo paired to aGarmin 265S.
For each of the graphs below, the data from both devices was collected at the same time.
The software used to make the graphs is DC Rainmaker’sanalyzer.
But testing the Powerbeats Pro 2 was more like solving a mystery.
I believe Ive figured out what the heck is going on here, and its not good news.
Was it Runnas fault?
The headband I wore over my ears on that cold day?
Or are the headphones really that bad?
Apple Watches have always had pretty good heart rate sensors, and you could see the drastic difference here.
(The Apple Watch is in red.)
OK, so the headphonescanreport a correct heart rate, but when and how?
And why dont they do it more often?
More research was needed.
I thought about all the factors that may have influenced the readings.
What could be going wrong?
In the options for the Powerbeats Pro 2, I noticed somethingan ear tip fit test.
I finally got a good seal by angling the headphones a lot further forward than I would have expected.
Maybefitwas the answer to my mystery.
So I hit the gym again.
(Fun fact: the fit test requires a quiet environment.
I got an oops message saying my environment was too noisy.
It turns out that fitwasthe answer, but not the way I expected.
I ran with the ear hooks in their approved position, and got terrible readings.
And then I had an idea.
What if I deliberately fit the headphones asbadlyas possible?
I cranked them backward so the ear hooks were vertical.
The sound got tinny, the active noise canceling did nothing, and they kind of hurt.
I could hear the guy on the treadmill next to me breathing and messing with his phone.
You know, the stuff that you wear headphones to block out.
But my heart rate data?
It was nearly perfect.
Maybe I have weird ears.
But even if so, I cant be theonlyone with weird ears.
I cant tell you the odds, but I can tell you theyre much greater than zero.
They haven’t yet responded with any information along those lines.
(Yes, I use my phone in bed.Sleep experts, you may disapprove.)
Was it coming from some equipment of his?
It sure wasnt anything of mine.
Then I realized: It must be coming from my ears.
(He looked over and groggily confirmed.)
This can be used to give a (theoretically) fairly accurate reading of your heart rate.
The room went dark.
I turned heart rate sensing back on.
Nike Run Club is free, but doesn’t export files that include heart rate data.
Ladder is a paid workout app.
Slopes is for skiingand admittedly I didn’t try that one.
All right, how do you actually turn this on?
Here’s what I did.
Pair the Powerbeats Pro 2 to your phone using the instructions that came with them.
(You’ll bring up the case, headphones still inside, near your phone.
Then just follow the prompts.)
confirm the heart rate sensor is on (it is by default).
Go into the Health app, then Heart Rate, then Data Sources and Access.
confirm your chosen app has access to read heart rate data.
Do a workout from one of those partner apps (Runna, etc).
(I used Strava for my testing.)
Go into your chosen appsay, Strava.
Tap whatever icon or menu allows you to connect to a heart rate sensor.
Double click and hold the “b” button on your headphones (either side works).
So that’s click, release, then click and hold.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 should show up as an available heart rate sensor.
Select it, and then go ahead and do your workout.
Sometimes it may not work (as in my initial tests with Runna).
Sometimes it may show that your heart rate is 15, 20, even 34(!)
beats higher than it really is.
This isnt just a small difference, either.
If the headphones were a few beats off here and there, I wouldnt worry about it.
I wish this could work!
But, alas, it does not.
