Five New AirPods Features Rumored Ahead of WWDC25

A new report from 9to5Mac today details five previously unreported AirPods features that Apple is purportedly working on. These enhancements, which could be announced as early as Monday during the WWDC25 keynote, focus on new interaction methods and convenience for AirPods users, potentially arriving with iOS 26.

These rumors follow earlier reports that Apple is also planning to bring live translation capabilities to AirPods as part of the upcoming software updates.

One of the new rumored features involves expanded head gestures. Apple introduced head gestures last year, allowing AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 users to nod or shake their head to manage Announce Calls and Notifications. The new report suggests Apple is working on extending this functionality, possibly to include ending a Conversation Awareness volume adjustment with a head gesture before the audio returns to its original noise-control setting.


For users who listen to music or podcasts as they fall asleep, Apple is reportedly developing a sleep auto-pause feature. This would allow AirPods to detect when a user has fallen asleep and automatically pause playback. It's unclear if this will be a standalone feature or work in conjunction with the Apple Watch's existing sleep detection capabilities.

Camera control via AirPods might also be making a return, reminiscent of the functionality offered by Apple's older wired EarBuds. This feature would reportedly let users trigger the iPhone or iPad camera by clicking the AirPods stem, offering a convenient way to take photos remotely.

The report also indicates Apple is developing an "Audio Mix" feature for AirPods, described as a "studio quality" microphone mode. This sounds somewhat similar to the Audio Mix feature introduced with the iPhone 16, which uses machine learning to separate background elements from speech. For AirPods, this could position them as a stronger competitor in the lavalier microphone market for creators.

Finally, Apple is said to be working on wider classroom support for AirPods. This enhancement aims to streamline the pairing experience for shared iPads, reducing friction and manual steps when multiple students use the same device.


As with all pre-release information, Apple may choose to delay or modify these features. The company is expected to unveil its next-generation operating systems, including iOS 26 and macOS 26, at the WWDC25 keynote on June 9. This year's conference is also anticipated to showcase a major "Solarium" UI redesign across its platforms.

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