Recently released Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 wireless earbuds face major criticism due to substantial limitations in their heart rate monitoring capabilities, according to fitness reviewers and user reports. Inaccurate readings loom as an issue. iOS app pairing seems problematic. And you can’t listen to music via iPhone when you pair the Apple buds to gym equipment to show your heart rate — a fact Apple confirmed.
Oddly, the various Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate monitor criticisms seem to apply only in the Apple ecosystem, not Android.
Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate monitoring takes fire from critics
Powerbeats Pro 2, launched on February 11 as the first Apple audio product with heart rate monitoring, now take fire for a particularly frustrating connectivity limitation, according to fitness reviewers like DC Rainmaker as well as users. Despite being marketed as capable of pairing with gym equipment to display real-time heart rate data, Powerbeats Pro 2 cannot simultaneously maintain a Bluetooth connection to an iPhone for music playback.
“You cannot listen to music with your iPhone while also paired with the gym equipment for heart rate,” Apple confirmed in an email response to DC Rainmaker’s inquiry. This forces users into an unwelcome choice: Enjoy music from their iPhone or share heart rate data with gym equipment — but not both simultaneously.
Works better with Android apps than iPhone apps
Expert fitness reviews highlighted even more concerning issues when using the Powerbeats Pro 2 with Apple’s own ecosystem. Apple markets the earbuds as fully compatible with both iOS and Android platforms. But DC Rainmaker and others encountered consistent problems getting the heart rate functionality to work properly with various iPhone apps.
“I started off on the Apple ecosystem side trying to use my Mac with an application called Zwift, but it wasn’t detecting the heart rate sensor,” DC explained in his detailed YouTube review (see the video above). “I used the Strava app, it didn’t work. I used the Peloton app, it didn’t work. I used the Wahoo Fitness app, and it didn’t work. I tried the Nike Run Club app, and it didn’t even see the thing.”
In a surprising turn, when switching to Android devices, Rainmaker found the heart rate functionality worked immediately across multiple fitness applications. And this inconsistency appears to be a widespread issue rather than an isolated defect with his unit. Other prominent tech fitness reviewers like DesFit and Shervin Shares reported similar problems to Rainmaker. They said they resorted to Android devices after failing to get reliable heart rate data when using iOS.
Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate monitor criticisms: Accuracy seems off
The accuracy of the heart rate measurements themselves also came under scrutiny. DC Rainmaker’s testing revealed significant data dropouts and inaccurate readings during both indoor cycling and outdoor running sessions. That raises questions about the reliability of the technology for serious fitness enthusiasts.
These issues also prompted discussion on Beats’ Reddit thread, where multiple users corroborated the limitations. They expressed disappointment with the implementation given the earbuds’ premium price point.
Apple claims to have subjected the Powerbeats Pro 2 to over 1,500 hours of testing with 1,000 athletes. But apparent real-world limitations suggest the implementation may be falling short of user expectations, particularly for Apple’s core customer base.
You can buy Powerbeats Pro 2 in Electric Orange, Hyper Purple, Jet Black and Quick Sand color options at a retail price of $249.99.
Reviewers rip Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate monitoring
