Exclusive: AirPods to get camera control, sleep detection, new gestures, more

Yesterday, 9to5Mac exclusively reported a handful of iOS 26 features that Apple has been working on and may announce on WWDC for its native apps. Today, we are sharing five previously unreported AirPods features that may also be announced as early as Monday, during the keynote.

New head gestures

Last year, Apple introduced head gestures so AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 users can nod “up and down or side to side to accept or decline Announce Calls and to interact with or dismiss Announce Notifications without using your hands”.

9to5Mac has learned that Apple is working on new head gestures, including extending a Conversation Awareness volume adjustment before returning users to their original noise-control settings.

Currently, you can end a Conversation Awareness volume adjustment by “pressing and holding on the AirPods stem or swiping up on the stem”, but soon, a head gesture might also do the trick.

Sleep auto-pause

Many people tend to fall asleep with their AirPods on. Some doze off while listening to music, and some do so while listening to podcasts. Currently, users must resort to sleep timers, a feature not all music or podcast apps support.

Luckily, our sources say Apple has been working on detecting when a user has fallen asleep while wearing their AirPods and automatically pausing playback. It is not clear whether this will be a standalone feature or if it will work in tandem with the Apple Watch, which already has sleep detection. Still, it’ll sure be a welcome feature.

Camera control

Years later than anyone would have initially guessed, Apple is finally poised to allow for AirPods Camera Control. Like with the old EarBuds, this new feature will let users trigger the iPhone or iPad camera with a click on the AirPods stem.

While touching one’s ear in every remotely taken photo might look weird, I do hope Apple supports this feature even if the user is just casually holding one AirPod.

Audio Mix

Last year, Apple introduced the Audio Mix alongside iPhone 16, which “uses machine learning to identify and separate background elements from speech and lets you choose from three voice options,” In-frame, Studio and Cinematic.

Now, 9to5Mac has learned that Apple has been developing a similar “studio quality” mic mode for AirPods, turning them into a strong competitor in the creator lav mic market.

Wider classroom support

Apple has been working on a feature aimed at improving the pairing experience in shared iPads, which will be especially welcome in classrooms where multiple students use the same device.

The goal is to streamline how AirPods connect to iPadOS in these settings, likely with less friction and fewer manual steps.

As always, Apple may choose to delay or tweak some of these features before making them public. But if even a few of them make it to the WWDC25 keynote on Monday, it would mark yet another year that great features are added to current models, rather than new features being associated with a newly announced hardware.

WWDC25: What to expect

Apple is expected to unveil major updates across all its platforms, including iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and more. With AI reportedly playing a smaller role this year, the spotlight will likely fall on design refreshes, and long-time wishlist picks like better window management support on the iPad.

The keynote kicks off Monday, June 9, and 9to5Mac will feature full coverage before, during, and after the event. See you then!

Best AirPods deals currently on Amazon

• AirPods Pro 2, USB-C Charging: 20% off at $199
• AirPods (3rd Generation): 19% off at $136
• AirPods 4, USB-C and Wireless Charging: 6% off at $168
• AirPods 4 USB-C Charging: 8% off at $119
• AirPods Max Wireless, USB-C Charging, Midnight: 9% off at $499

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.