Like previous iPhone software updates, iOS 26 adds several new features to Apple's AirPods. While iOS 26 will be officially released sometime in September 2025, there's nothing stopping you from installing the latest iOS 26 beta – and getting access to the new AirPods features today.
New AirPods Features
Apple's upcoming iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe updates add the following new features to AirPods, thanks to an AirPods firmware update (more on that below). Controls for the new features are also listed.
Pause Audio for Sleep: If you're listening to music, a podcast, or a book while you're in bed and you're wearing AirPods, the AirPods will pause your audio when you fall asleep. (Settings ➝ [Your Name]'s AirPods ➝ Pause Media When Falling Asleep.)
Camera Remote: AirPods can be used as a camera remote with the Camera app on iPhone or iPad. Just press and hold on the AirPods stem to take a photo or start a video recording. (Settings ➝ [Your Name]'s AirPods ➝ Camera Remote.)
Keep Audio in Headphones: When you use AirPods, you can opt to keep audio in your headphones when other playback devices like cars and speakers connect to the iPhone. (Settings ➝ General ➝ AirPlay & Continuity ➝ Keep Audio with Headphones.)
Improved Call Quality: The H2 chip in the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 brings more natural vocal texture and clarity to voice recordings, iPhone calls, FaceTime calls, and all CallKit-enabled apps like Zoom. (No change in Settings necessary.)
How to Get the New AirPods Features
Step 1: Install iOS 26 / macOS Tahoe Beta
In order to gain access to the new AirPods features in beta, you'll first need an iPhone/iPad running iOS 26/iPadOS 26 beta or a Mac running macOS Tahoe beta. Apple has released beta versions for developers and the public. Follow the links to learn how to get the betas, then meet us back here.
Step 2: Install AirPods Beta Firmware
Once you have your device running the iOS 26/iPadOS 26/macOS Tahoe beta, you need to give Apple permission to install beta firmware on your AirPods.
Connect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, then open Settings ➝ [Your Name]'s AirPods.
Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select AirPods Beta Updates.
Toggle the switch next to AirPods Beta Updates to the green ON position.
After you've completed these steps, the firmware update will be installed automatically when your AirPods are in their charging case and near to your iPhone/iPad/Mac. This could take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, so be patient.
Once the firmware update is complete, additional options to control the new AirPods features will appear within the Settings app, in the menu screens described above. Bear in mind that the new features are in beta and as a result cannot be guaranteed to work consistently.
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you.
Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports.
In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products.
Here's what's supposedly coming:
An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Macworld claims to have access to an ...
Just to get these new features on the AirPods early, i definitely do not recommend to update a "productive" iPhone to the new Developer Beta. I am running it on a spare iPhone - it is ok so far, but you never know, what important functions/apps do not run as expected. I am actually reporting a weird behaviour of the AppStore on iPads to Apple. Found a workaround myself, but it is not the way to go.
So: be patient, enjoy the news and wait for Santa to drop trough the chimney. ...in September. ☺️
Y’all couldn’t wait until the Public Beta is available to post this? The idea of encouraging people to download the DEVELOPER Beta is kinda disgusting and borderline malpractice for an Apple news and rumor site with your reach.
As someone who, in years past, would foolishly pay developers to get access to iOS Betas (before the Public Beta Program was a thing) … I knew the risks, but it was also an incredibly stupid thing to do just to get advanced access to new features for the hell of it. Fun. Exciting. But incredibly stupid.
Let developers use the Developer Beta the way it’s intended, and keep people like me off of it.
Dont ever update your airpods, apple tv or apple watch to OS beta versions. If there is an issue, you can never downgrade your os version by yourself. You have to go an apple store.
