AirPods users will be soon getting some unique features thanks to the iOS 26 update that rumoured to be rolling out later this year. However, with the WWDC 2025 keynote just a few days away, Apple could use the platform to reveal some of the features that will work on the AirPods.

We have been hearing about future AirPods could feature a built-in camera but we could see these upgrades rolling out for the existing models with the latest iOS update. 

New AirPods Update With iOS 26 For iPhones: What To Expect 

We could see AirPods get as many as five new features coming with the iOS 26 update and some of these could be part of the WWDC 2025 lineup next week. Here are the details: 

Camera Control: AirPods will finally get the camera control option which means you can simply tap on the step of the earbuds and activate the iPhone’s camera. That’s not all, the control will also allow you to click photos using the AirPods which has been in the works for years but could finally become a reality 

Sleep Detect Access: How many times have you dozed off wearing the AirPods and forgot to remove them? Apple could have an easy and smart fix for the problem by letting the AirPods detect when the person has fallen asleep wearing the buds and pause the podcast, music or any other content playing through the AirPods.

If the iOS 26 update does manage to make this possible using the AirPods then we might see the other versions becoming hot in the market and probably getting the Android folks to switch sides. We are eager to see how Apple plans to make this work and will there be some limitations with the hardware that could make it work with the latest models only. 

Audio Mix: Apple has been working on studio-like quality mic control for the AirPods and the iOS 26 version could offer them to the users. The mics on the AirPods are known to be reliable but with this fix, you can even use them for recording serious content, especially for vlogging. 

Gesture Support: AirPods could also offer gesture-based controls with the iOS 26 update. Most likely you will be given the option of tilting the head up and down to control calls. To be fair we find the use of gestures slightly awkward especially if you are in the public area and not sure many people would actually find it useful in the first place. 

iOS 26 is shaping up to be a big update, not only because of the new features and its new naming sequence but also a big design overhaul is long overdue and all the leaks point to a fresh start.