Although Apple didn’t announce new AirPods at WWDC, the software updates in iOS 27 and watchOS 27 paint a picture of where they’re heading.

Given Apple’s dominance in health, it’s not surprising that the gym is getting some of the first upgrades. Since 2017, connecting Apple gear to a treadmill meant tapping an Apple Watch against the machine through GymKit, Apple’s system for sharing workout data with compatible cardio equipment. With iOS 27, that expands to the iPhone and AirPods Pro 3, letting the earbuds feed heart-rate data into treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, and stair-steppers. The watch requirement is gone, made possible by the sensors already inside AirPods Pro 3.

Apple’s AI workout coach, Workout Buddy, no longer needs an iPhone nearby in watchOS 27. Since AirPods Pro 3 launched, their heart-rate sensors have helped feed workout data into Apple’s fitness features, including Workout Buddy. Now Apple has removed the iPhone as the middleman.

The direction this is heading is pretty clear: GymKit removes the watch. Workout Buddy removes the phone. Siri AI removes the screen.

Siri AI is probably the biggest upgrade because it could make you reach for your phone—or glance at your watch—less. The old Siri handled timers and song requests just fine, but harder questions usually ended with web results that forced you to pull out a screen. Siri AI promises to change that by answering questions, understanding context, and working across apps. The phone still does the processing—for now—but the screen stops being necessary.

The more AirPods can sense, and the smarter they get, the fewer reasons you have to reach for another device. And Apple may be just getting started. As has been widely reported, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that future AirPods could add cameras, giving Siri visual context instead of relying on an iPhone camera for Visual Intelligence. Today Siri can hear what you say. Tomorrow it may be able to see what you’re looking at.

AirPods started as wireless headphones. Today they can track heart rate, understand movement, and act as an AI interface.

The computer isn’t moving into your pocket anymore.

It’s moving into your ears.