Apple’s upcoming iOS 26 and macOS 26 updates could contain several new features for AirPods, including camera control options and sleep detection features, according to a report by 9to5Mac. The new features would come via firmware updates that would be released alongside the new operating systems.
Rumored features include:
- New head gestures – New head gestures could debut, including a head gesture to adjust the volume of Conversation Awareness.
- Sleep auto-pause – AirPods could also gain the ability to pause audio when the wearer falls asleep. This would presumably using sleep data collected from the Apple Watch, as the AirPods have no built-in sleep detection functionality.
- Camera control – Shutter trigger functionality could come to the AirPods, allowing users to capture an image on a linked iPhone with a press on the AirPods stem. This would allow users to take a photo with a remote trigger, much like is already availble on the Apple Watch. This might involve a timer, allowing iPhone users to trigger a photo without being captured touchng their ear. (Unless they really want to.)
- Audio mix – A microphone mode similar to the Audio Mix feature on the iPhone would allow users to choose from sound recording options like studio and cinematic.
- Better pairing for shared classroom iPads – This feature would improve how AirPods pair with shared iPads for use in the classroom.
9to5Mac didn’t specify whether these features would come to all AirPod models, or whether they would be limited to the AirPods Pro. The publication mentions that Apple could “choose to delay or tweak” the features before they are announced.
A live translate feature is also expected to debut for the AirPods, allowing users to translate in-person conversations from one language to another.
Apple’s WWDC25 keynote will kick off Monday, June 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
