Apple is reportedly preparing a number of new features for AirPods with the iOS 26 update, which we'll see for the first time next week at WWDC 2025. New head gestures, automatic sleep pause, camera control, and microphone improvements are just some of the features.
New head gestures
Last year, Apple introduced head gestures so AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 users can move their heads up and down or side to side to accept or reject calls and to interact with or dismiss notifications hands-free. 9to5Mac has learned that Apple is working on new head gestures, which would allow you to disable "Conversation Detection" when AirPods lower the volume when they detect you're talking to someone. Currently, you can disable this feature by pressing the "stick" of the AirPods or swiping up, as if you were turning up the volume.
Automatic sleep pause
Many people tend to fall asleep with their AirPods in while listening to music or podcasts. Apple has been working to detect when a user has fallen asleep while wearing their AirPods and automatically pause playback. It remains to be determined whether this will be a standalone feature or work in conjunction with the Apple Watch, which already has sleep detection.
camera monitoring
Apple will allow you to take a photo by pressing the AirPods, which will then function as a remote control for the iPhone camera. Will it work with just one AirPod in your ear?
Audio mix
Last year, Apple introduced Audio Mix alongside the iPhone 16, which uses machine learning to identify and separate background elements in speech and lets you choose between three voice options: In-frame, Studio, and Cinematic. Now, we've learned that Apple has been developing a similar "studio-quality" microphone mode for AirPods, making them a strong contender in the lab-grade microphone market for creators.
Broader support in the classroom
Apple will add a feature designed to improve the AirPods pairing experience with shared iPads, which will be especially useful in classrooms where multiple students use the same device.