--- title: "Apple is preparing a screenless fitness tracker: the new gadget will be a direct competitor to Whoop" description: "Apple is developing a screenless, app-free fitness tracker on a flexible fabric strap with sensors. The gadget will compete with Whoop; release is possible no earlier than 2028." date: 2026-09-23T07:08:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/apple-screenless-fitness-tracker-whoop-competitor tags: [apple, fitness-tracker, whoop, wearables, health-tech, mark-gurman] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Apple is preparing a screenless fitness tracker: the new gadget will be a direct competitor to Whoop ![Apple logo on a store's glass facade framed by lush green foliage, in the context of the company preparing a screenless fitness tracker to rival Whoop](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/23/apple-fitnes-treker-bez-ekrana-konkurent-whoop/apple-fitnes-treker-bez-ekrana-konkurent-whoop-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Apple is preparing a fitness tracker without a screen, notifications, media player, or apps - The device is built on a flexible fabric strap with a biometric sensor module - The project is supported by Tim Cook and Eddie Cue; engineers from the Vision team have been brought in - Development is at the first-prototype stage; release no earlier than 2028; final decision not yet made Apple, according to an analytical report by Mark Gurman for Bloomberg, is developing a new wearable gadget — a fitness tracker without a traditional screen. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine. The project is at an early stage, but it has already received the support of the company's top management and is intended to compete with minimalist health-monitoring devices, primarily with Whoop and Oura, which over the past few years have attracted millions of users interested in tracking recovery and body metrics without an extra screen on the wrist. ### What the device is The gadget's main feature is the complete absence of a familiar glass display, notification system, media player, and apps. Instead of a classic Apple Watch body, the device will be built around a flexible fabric strap into which a compact module with a set of biometric sensors is embedded. The main goal of this solution is to provide continuous monitoring of the body's condition without distracting the user with a screen and without turning the wearable into yet another source of digital noise. ### Who is behind the project According to available information, development is being carried out under the personal patronage of Chairman of the Board Tim Cook and head of the services division Eddie Cue, who in late 2025 took over Apple's health division. Specialists from the team that worked on the hardware part of the Vision headset have been brought into the early engineering project, which indicates the company's desire to expand its line of wearable devices with new form factors and to transfer its accumulated experience in compact electronics and sensors to a new product. ### Why Apple is revising its strategy Despite the fact that Apple holds the leadership in the smartwatch market, the rapid growth in popularity of specialized fitness trackers has forced the company to reconsider its approach. Devices like Whoop and Oura have proven that a significant part of the audience is ready to give up a screen in favor of pure biometric monitoring. In response, Apple has already begun integrating similar features into its own ecosystem: the latest updates to the Health app and new Apple Watch models have received daily readiness-to-train calculations, biological age estimation, and improved around-the-clock heart rate monitoring. ### Development stage and timeline At present, the project is at the stage of creating the first prototypes. According to sources, the final decision on bringing the gadget to market has not yet been made by the company's management, and a possible release is expected no earlier than 2028. Thus, we are facing not an announced product, but an early engineering initiative that may either accelerate or be reconsidered during internal evaluation. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [No screen and no apps: Apple is preparing a direct competitor to Whoop](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ekrana-ta-dodatkiv-apple-gotue-pryamogo-konkurenta-1790146756.html) - Основной источник: устройство без экрана, тканевый ремешок, патронат Кука и Кью, прототипы, релиз не ранее 2028. - [Apple is preparing its own analog of Whoop — a popular screenless bio-tracker](https://3dnews.ru/1148884/apple-gotovit-svoy-analogwhoop-populyarnogo-biotrekera-bez-ekrana) - Подтверждает концепцию био-трекера без экрана как аналога Whoop. - [Apple is developing a screenless fitness tracker modeled on Whoop — The Verge](https://ua.news/ru/technologies/apple-rozrobliaie-fitnes-treker-bez-ekrana-za-zrazkom-whoop-the-verge) - Ссылка на The Verge, согласуется с описанием ранней стадии разработки. - [It is reported that Apple is developing a product to compete with Whoop](https://www.notebookcheck-ru.com/Soobshchaetsja-chto-kompanija-Apple-razrabatyvaet-produkt-konkurent-Whoop.1406252.0.html) - Независимое подтверждение факта разработки конкурента Whoop. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Does the new Apple tracker have a screen? **A:** No. According to the report, the device is completely devoid of a traditional glass screen, notifications, media player, and apps — this is its key difference from Apple Watch. ### Q: What does the gadget look like? **A:** It is built around a flexible fabric strap into which a compact module with biometric sensors is embedded. ### Q: When will the device be released? **A:** The final decision on bringing it to market has not yet been made, and a possible release is expected no earlier than 2028. The first prototypes are currently being created. ### Q: Who is responsible for the project? **A:** The project is supported by Chairman of the Board Tim Cook and head of the services division Eddie Cue, who took over Apple's health division in late 2025. Engineers from the Vision team have been brought in. ### Q: What does the tracker compete with? **A:** Primarily with Whoop and Oura — minimalist devices for continuous health monitoring without a screen on the wrist.