Apple Prototypes a Screenless Fitness Band to Rival Whoop

Bloomberg reports Apple is prototyping a screenless fabric-band fitness tracker backed by Tim Cook and Eddy Cue, though a release likely wouldn't come before 2028.

Apple is developing a screenless health and fitness tracker designed to rival Whoop's wrist-worn band, according to a Bloomberg report carried by PYMNTS and Deccan Chronicle. The prototypes pair a thin fabric band with a sensor-equipped computing module and no display, making it a deliberately narrower product than the Apple Watch, which combines fitness tracking with apps and notifications. The project has been under exploration for several months and remains in what Apple internally calls a 'technology investigation' phase, meaning the company has not committed to shipping it. If green-lit, the device likely will not debut before 2028.

A screenless band inverts that logic entirely, betting that continuous health sensing — not notifications — is the future of the wrist. The surprising part is who is behind it. Business Standard reports the effort has backing from Executive Chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue, who took over Apple's health efforts late last year and has pushed the team to adopt features from newer rivals. Engineers from Apple's Vision hardware team, the group behind the Vision Pro headset, have also joined the early development work.

The competitive context explains the timing. Whoop has built a screenless product around continuous health and fitness tracking and is now valued at about $10 billion, while smart ring maker Oura filed for an initial public offering this month. Google entered the segment in May with the launch of Fitbit Air, described by the company as a tracker simple, affordable and comfortable enough to wear around the clock, and Garmin already sells display-free fitness bands. Garmin shares fell as much as 2.5% after Bloomberg's report, while Apple stock rose about 1% to $342.29 in New York trading.

The tracker effort arrives amid a leadership shake-up in Apple's watch and health businesses. Jeff Williams, the former chief operating officer who oversaw both areas, retired at the end of last year, and Business Standard reports that Stan Ng, who led Apple Watch and health marketing, and Jay Blahnik, who ran Apple's fitness strategy, have also left the company.

Apple remains a top smartwatch seller, particularly in the US, but Whoop and Oura are growing quickly with millions of users each, prompting the company to reconsider how it approaches health tracking, according to Bloomberg's reporting. A screenless band would give Apple a product focused squarely on fitness rather than asking the Apple Watch to serve as both smartwatch and health device. The company declined to comment on the project, per PYMNTS, so all details rest on unnamed sources — and Business Standard notes some of Apple's exploratory wearable concepts, like a postponed AI camera pendant, never reach market.

The screenless band is only one piece of Apple's wider wearables rethink. Bloomberg's reporting, as carried by Deccan Chronicle, points to a major Apple Watch redesign targeted as early as late 2027, following years of incremental changes, plus Apple's first smart glasses and camera-equipped AirPods, both slated for 2027. Separately, Business Insider exclusively reports that MrBeast's Beast Holdings filed an 'intent to use' trademark application for 'Beast Band,' covering wearable activity trackers and smartwatch bands — a sign the creator economy may crowd the same fitness-band lane. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told Business Insider he could see Beast Industries partnering with an existing manufacturer rather than building the hardware itself.