Five New AirPods Features May Debut at WWDC25, Including Sleep Detection and Camera Control

Apple is reportedly preparing to unveil five new AirPods features at its WWDC25 keynote on June 9, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. These updates—some powered by AI—are expected to enhance user interaction and overall convenience, and may launch alongside iOS 26 later this year.

These rumored upgrades follow previous reports that live translation capabilities may also be coming to AirPods, offering real-time multilingual communication when paired with iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro.

Expanded Head Gestures

Apple already supports head gestures for managing calls and notifications on AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. The new report claims these gestures could soon extend to Conversation Awareness—allowing users to end a temporary volume drop with a simple nod or head shake before returning to full noise cancellation or transparency mode.

Sleep Auto-Pause

For those who fall asleep with their AirPods in, Apple may be working on an automatic sleep detection feature that would pause music or podcasts when the user dozes off. It’s unclear if this will rely solely on AirPods’ internal sensors or sync with Apple Watch’s sleep tracking for more accuracy.

Camera Shutter via AirPods

Apple may bring back a beloved feature from its wired EarPods: camera shutter control. According to the report, users could press the stem of their AirPods to remotely trigger a photo—perfect for group shots, vlogs, or stealthy selfies without touching the screen.

"Audio Mix" Microphone Mode

A new studio-quality microphone setting could be in the works, modeled after the Audio Mix feature on iPhone 16, which uses machine learning to separate voices from background sounds. This could turn AirPods into on-the-go lav mics for content creators, especially for vloggers and podcasters who want better audio with minimal gear.

Classroom-Ready Pairing

Apple is also looking to simplify AirPods pairing in shared environments, particularly schools. The update could make it easier for students to connect AirPods to shared iPads without repeatedly navigating pairing menus—saving teachers time and streamlining digital learning.

What's Next

These updates, if announced, will likely roll out alongside iOS 26 and other upcoming OS updates. Apple is also expected to debut a major new design language dubbed "Solarium," bringing a visionOS-inspired refresh to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

WWDC25 kicks off Monday, June 9, with the keynote airing at 10 a.m. PT. While no new hardware is expected, AI integration, developer tools, and ecosystem enhancements will take center stage.