Apple’s New VO2 Max Test Could Change How You Measure Fitness. Here’s How It Works

Apple has made its most significant health announcement in many years and I must say that the new Apple Watch VO2 Max is the one I just cannot stop thinking about since the Apple Event. Not because it’s flashy, it’s the opposite of flashy. It is a metric for physical activity that requires a lab setting, a breathing mask on the face and people with clipboards recording how close you got to passing out on a treadmill. 

We already had that access at home from the many wearables we are surrounded by but one thing I have noticed is that they weren’t accurate. Even pausing for a water break in between a workout without pausing the workout on your wearable would tip it way off. But with this new makeover, involving a camera and instructions on what to do, maybe it could be a lot closer to the actual reading. 

Announced on September 9, 2026, together with the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, this is only one of the many components of the upcoming health revolution from Apple. Let’s get into it.

What Is VO2 Max and Why Does It Matter?

Now, if you’ve never heard the phrase up until now, let me explain it. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. The more oxygen you can bring into your body and use during training, the better performance the cardiovascular system shows under stress.

VO2 max is not a measure that only applies to runners. Scientists have found correlations between cardiorespiratory fitness, which is essentially what VO2 max shows and the probability of developing heart disease or longevity of life. It was considered one of the most important indicators of a person’s cardiovascular condition by doctors and exercise physiologists for decades.

The problem was that almost no one outside of elite athletes and lab tests could obtain this value. This is what Apple intends to change and it was very evident from the wearables launched at the September Apple Event 2026.

Apple Introduces a New Way to Measure VO2 Max

So what exactly did Apple introduce? An updated feature within the new design of the Health app called Movement Evaluations. The combination of the capabilities of your iPhone’s camera and metrics calculated by your Apple Watch or AirPods Pro, allows you to conduct an at-home physical evaluation that examines flexibility, strength, balance, movement mechanics and VO2 max level.

This is far from yet another silent update of a health-related algorithm by Apple, this is a real test that you conduct using your iPhone’s camera and following the instructions on the Health app.

Here are some important points about this function. First of all, it does not require an Internet connection since everything is happening right on your device. Moreover, Apple insists that no video recording occurs at all during such assessments and this is a crucial detail taking into account the personal nature of the procedure. Finally, there is information that the models of the tests were developed by clinicians rather than software engineers.

The new design of the Health app will be released later this year in the U.S. English with other languages coming later.

How Apple Watch Measures VO2 Max

Now here’s where it gets a bit more technical, so bear with me here.

The traditional way: A proper VO2 max test requires you to go to a lab and be put on either a treadmill or stationary bike with an exercise physiologist overseeing. You’ll wear a mask hooked up to a metabolic gas analyzer which monitors how much oxygen your body takes in and how much carbon dioxide your body expels when your physical condition is being pushed to its limits. It’s precise but also expensive, time-consuming and certainly isn’t something you’re going to do on any given Tuesday.

The Apple Watch way, until now: What the Apple Watch has really been doing all along is calculating a version of this number, only it was just referred to as Cardio Fitness. While you go for your run or walk outside, your watch will measure both your heart rate and pace using GPS. When your heart rate remains low despite having a respectable pace, the algorithm will determine that your cardiovascular system is functioning well and give you a good estimate.

The outdoor activity needs to be quite a decent length, usually 20+ minutes for the watch to actually give a result. Treadmill workouts and stop and go city walks don’t really cut it.

Here’s what’s new: The Movement Evaluations feature helps to conduct the actual assessment of your fitness. Instead of passively collecting the VO2 max value from your activities throughout the day, Apple added a new assessment, which will use not only your heart rate metrics but also camera-based movement analysis and existing Health data.

An interesting point hidden in the fine print: The VO2 max test needs either the Apple Watch or the AirPods Pro 3 or a compatible third-party heart rate sensor.

This new assessment method is active. You take the test anywhere, any number of times and Apple’s vision-based AI tracks you through the camera and gives you immediate audio and visual feedback as you proceed. This is a targeted check, rather than a passive estimate running in the background.

Think of it as the difference between a teacher figuring out that you’re good at math because you ace pop quizzes and having you take a proper exam.

Why This Matters for Everyday Users, Not Just Athletes

VO2 max might seem like something only serious athletes, like marathon runners, HYROX dudes and CrossFit bros care about. This particular update, however, was clearly designed keeping a larger audience in mind. The ones who occasionally hit a Barre or a Spin class.

As you may have guessed already, VO2 max gets incorporated into another function introduced in the Health app by Apple, Longevity. Yes, in the era of Instagram glowing with people’s matchas and red light therapy devices, Apple focused on longevity throughout this entire lineup. Their new feature, Health Age, is an estimate of how one’s biological markers compare to their chronological age. It takes into account not just VO2 max, but also a user’s resting heart rate, sleeping patterns and HRV, while allowing you to factor in lab results such as A1c and LDL cholesterol.

In other words, Apple is finally trying to answer “Am I aging well?” backed up by numbers.

Which is actually a pretty cool approach. One does not need to be training for anything to want to know if their cardiovascular fitness levels are going in the right direction.

Speaking of longetivity, here is a list of wearable nerve stimulators if you wanna try one for yourself.

Can Apple Watch Replace a Lab VO2 Max Test?

The simple answer is that no, it cannot replace a lab VO2 Max test. And, to be clear, Apple isn’t saying it can either.

Independent validation studies have been done on the accuracy of Apple Watch’s VO2 max estimation vs actual measurements by lab equipment and the findings have been consistent. Apple Watch usually underestimates the value, with the average difference being 6.07 mL per kg per minute vs lab equipment such as indirect calorimetry, the absolute gold standard. That’s not nothing. Mayo Clinic researchers also observed the same margin between Apple Watch Series 10 and professional metabolic analyzer estimates. And this is how the full picture looks like.

What the Apple Watch offers you:

• Zero appointments and no extra costs except for the device you already have
• Trend line over time, which is arguably a more valuable data point
• Continuous data stream instead of one measurement after a stressful experience in the lab

What it doesn’t get you:

• Clinical grade accuracy
• The number you can present to a cardiologist as a diagnostic figure
• Consistency across completely different exercises, as environmental factors like terrain, heat and exercise type influence it

The athlete that needs an accurate measurement will definitely want the test from a lab, but for literally anyone else who is only looking to learn the trend of their fitness, this is more than enough.

What This Means for the Future of Fitness Wearables

Did Apple copy Oura and WHOOP with their Readiness and Health Age? Yes. But the new way of Apple Watch VO2 Max is revolutionary if I say so myself. Apple going in this direction means everyone else would not be far behind. Instead of adding more data to our lives in an effort to overwhelm us, they will use AI in an attempt to tell the story that the data actually tells about our lives.

More clinical-grade like tests at home that used to require a crazy amount of money and a professional with you. And more physiological measurements like VO2 Max, which were previously only possible in sports labs, now part of your routine.

Wrap Up

This is the part where things really stand out in my opinion. Instead of adding VO2 max measurement as an optional and passive process while running, Apple actually makes it something that you need to actively engage with.

This is more important than you may think. The number that pops up unexpectedly in a very rarely used app doesn’t affect your behavior at all. But, a test that is actively conducted with immediate feedback on your performance is much more likely to motivate you even if the number itself isn’t perfectly accurate.

The actual measurement isn’t so important here but the fact that Apple is now trying to turn your smartphone camera into a fitness analysis tool is definitely something to look at in the future.