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Use AirPods Pro 3 as a heart rate monitor in Zwift

No chest strap. BikeControl reads the heart rate your AirPods Pro 3 measure, and hands it to Zwift as an ordinary sensor.

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PROSensors are part of Pro.Base and Pro compared

BikeControl's Sensors page with Apple Health picked as the heart-rate source, reading 148 bpm
BikeControl's Sensors page, with Apple Health as the heart-rate source

What you need for Zwift

Last updated:

Earbuds

AirPods Pro 3

On an iPhone or iPad with iOS 26 or later.

Heart-rate source

Apple Health

BikeControl reads the earbuds' heart rate from Apple Health.

Reaches Zwift over

Bluetooth or Network

Zwift pairs "BikeControl" like a strap, or finds it on your Wi-Fi.

What you need

PRO

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.

Why Zwift 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 Zwift 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.

Setup: AirPods Pro 3 + Zwift

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Point Zwift at BikeControl

    If BikeControl already bridges your trainer into Zwift, heart rate arrives on that connection. Otherwise switch on Broadcast on the Sensors page — Zwift finds "BikeControl" over Wi-Fi, or pairs it over Bluetooth like a strap.

  5. Ride

    Your heart rate appears in Zwift 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 Zwift

Either way Zwift 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 Zwift the way you would pair a heart-rate strap. The device running Zwift has to be a different one — a phone cannot pair with itself over Bluetooth.

Network

Zwift finds "BikeControl" on your Wi-Fi by itself — the same discovery it already uses for the trainer, so an Apple TV or a PC picks up your heart rate with nothing plugged into it.

Read what else 7.0 brings

Frequently asked questions

Can Zwift 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 Zwift 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 Zwift see the heart rate?
As a sensor on “BikeControl”. If BikeControl already bridges your trainer into Zwift, heart rate rides along on that connection with nothing new to pair. If Zwift talks to your trainer directly, switch on Broadcast on BikeControl’s Sensors page: Zwift then finds “BikeControl” over your Wi-Fi, or pairs it over Bluetooth like any 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/

Use AirPods Pro 3 with another app

Your heart rate in Zwift, from your AirPods Pro 3.

Heart rate from your AirPods Pro 3 is part of Pro, a subscription. No chest strap needed.

  • Get BikeControl on Microsoft Store
  • Get BikeControl on Mac App Store
  • Get BikeControl on Google Play
  • Get BikeControl on App Store
Windows: direct download, without the Microsoft Store