Use AirPods Pro 3 as a heart rate monitor in Biketerra
AirPods Pro 3 measure heart rate but never advertise it as a Bluetooth strap, so Biketerra cannot pair them. BikeControl reads the reading from Apple Health on iOS 26 and passes it to Biketerra as an ordinary sensor — no chest strap.
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Why Biketerra cannot see your AirPods on its own
AirPods Pro 3 measure your heart rate in your ear, but they never advertise it the way a chest strap does — there is no Bluetooth heart-rate service for Biketerra to pair with. The reading goes to Apple Health instead, which is where BikeControl picks it up.
One catch worth knowing up front: the earbuds only sample continuously while a workout session is running. On iOS 26 BikeControl starts one itself and throws it away when you stop, so you get a live reading without a phantom Indoor Cycling workout appearing in Fitness. On older iOS versions BikeControl can only read what another workout is already recording.
How to use AirPods Pro 3 as a heart-rate monitor in Biketerra
- Update to BikeControl 7.0. Install BikeControl 7.0 or later on the iPhone your AirPods Pro 3 are paired with. Sensors are a Pro feature.
- Put your AirPods Pro 3 in. Wear both earbuds. On iOS 26 BikeControl starts a workout session of its own to keep them measuring, and discards it when you stop.
- Pick Apple Health as the heart-rate source. Open the heart-rate tile in BikeControl, choose Apple Health from the Source list, and allow heart rate when iOS asks.
- Point Biketerra at BikeControl. If BikeControl already bridges your trainer into Biketerra, heart rate arrives on that connection. Otherwise switch on Broadcast on the Sensors page and pair "BikeControl" in Biketerra as you would a Bluetooth heart-rate strap.
- Ride. Your heart rate appears in Biketerra next to power and cadence. If the earbuds drop out, BikeControl says so on the tile and hands the signal back to your trainer.
Two ways it reaches Biketerra
Either way Biketerra sees one device called "BikeControl" — the same one your gears come through, if you use virtual shifting.
Bluetooth. Switch on Broadcast on the Sensors page and pair "BikeControl" in Biketerra the way you would pair a heart-rate strap. The device running Biketerra has to be a different one — a phone cannot pair with itself over Bluetooth.
Network. Biketerra does not discover sensors over the network, so use the Bluetooth route above.
Sensors are part of BikeControl Pro, and the Apple Health source is iOS and iPadOS only — on Android, Windows and macOS, use a Bluetooth heart-rate strap instead.
Frequently asked questions
Can Biketerra read heart rate from AirPods Pro 3?
Not on its own. AirPods Pro 3 measure heart rate in your ear but never advertise it as a Bluetooth heart-rate strap, so no trainer app can pair them directly. BikeControl reads the reading from Apple Health on your iPhone and passes it to Biketerra as an ordinary heart-rate sensor.
Do I need iOS 26?
For a continuous reading, yes. AirPods Pro 3 only sample heart rate while a workout session is running, and an app can only start one of those on iPhone from iOS 26. On older iOS versions BikeControl can still read heart rate from Apple Health, but only what another workout is already recording — you would have to keep a workout running in the Fitness app, and the readings arrive in batches rather than live.
Does BikeControl leave a workout in my Fitness app?
No. The workout session exists only to keep the AirPods sampling, and BikeControl discards it when you stop, so no phantom “Indoor Cycling” entry appears next to whatever your trainer app saves. Writing the ride to Apple Health is a separate switch you turn on yourself.
Can I use an Apple Watch instead?
Not as a live source. BikeControl asks Apple Health for heart rate, and on iOS 26 it keeps the AirPods sampling with a workout session of its own — that session collects from Bluetooth heart-rate devices paired to the iPhone, not from a Watch on your wrist. Apple’s own advice for Watch heart rate is to start the workout on the Watch, which BikeControl does not do. For now, use AirPods Pro 3, a Bluetooth chest strap or an armband.
Where does Biketerra see the heart rate?
As a sensor on “BikeControl”. If BikeControl already bridges your trainer into Biketerra, heart rate rides along on that connection with nothing new to pair. Otherwise switch on Broadcast on BikeControl’s Sensors page and pair “BikeControl” in Biketerra the way you would pair a Bluetooth heart-rate strap.
Is this free?
No. Sensors — choosing a source per signal, the Apple Health path and the Sensors page — are part of BikeControl Pro (around 2.50 EUR/USD per month). Details: https://bikecontrol.app/pricing/
More in the BikeControl 7.0 release post, or download BikeControl — free to try on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.