Apple is reportedly working on a Whoop competitor

Apple is reportedly developing a screenless fitness tracker designed to challenge minimalist wearables like the Whoop band and Google’s recently launched Fitbit Air ($99 on Amazon). According to a Bloomberg report, the device is in an early stage of development and likely wouldn’t arrive before 2028. It also swaps out the traditional glass display of the Apple Watch for a flexible fabric strap anchored by a sensor-packed computing module.

By stripping away standard smartwatch features such as notifications, media controls, and app ecosystems, the device is intended to focus entirely on continuous, distraction-free biometric tracking. The project is reportedly being personally championed by Executive Chairman Tim Cook and services chief Eddy Cue, who assumed control of Apple’s health division late last year.

While Apple maintains a dominant position in the broader smartwatch industry, the rapid growth of specialized health trackers has prompted a strategic evaluation of its wearable lineup. Competitors like Whoop, which is currently valued at roughly $10 billion, and Oura have captured millions of users seeking dedicated recovery and health monitoring without the constant engagement of a screen.

Recognizing this shift, Cue has been pushing Apple’s internal health teams to develop simpler, more streamlined interfaces. The company has already begun integrating some of these concepts into its existing ecosystem; recent updates to the Health app and the latest Apple Watch models include Whoop-style metrics such as daily readiness scores, biological age estimations, and enhanced continuous heart-rate tracking.

Early engineering work on the screenless band is being supported by members of Apple's Vision hardware team, indicating a broader effort to expand the company's wearable hardware portfolio. Despite the high-level executive interest, the project remains in the preliminary prototyping stage, and Apple has not officially decided whether it will bring the device to market.