Apple could introduce new AirPods features at the WWDC 2025 keynote on June 9, according to 9to5Mac. The planned updates are designed to enhance hands-free operation, sleep detection, sound quality, and easier use in educational settings.
Key AirPods Features Expected
Expanded Head Gestures: Apple reportedly plans to extend head gesture controls on AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. Users could soon exit the “Conversation Awareness” volume mode with head movements instead of using stem controls.
Automatic Sleep Detection: Apple is developing a feature that can recognize when a user falls asleep while wearing AirPods and will automatically stop the audio playback. It remains unclear if this will work independently or connect with Apple Watch’s sleep tracking.
Camera Shutter Control: Users could soon take photos on their iPhone or iPad by tapping the AirPods stem to activate the camera shutter. This feature, similar to Apple’s older wired EarBuds, is expected to work even with a single AirPod.
Studio-Quality Microphone Mode: Apple is developing a studio-level microphone mode for AirPods. Building on the Audio Mix feature from iPhone 16, this mode separates speech from background noise and could help content creators capture better audio.
Simplified Pairing for Shared iPads: Apple aims to make pairing AirPods easier on shared iPads, especially in classrooms. This update seeks to reduce manual steps and improve device sharing.
The report noted that some features could be delayed or changed before release.
WWDC 2025 Overview
In addition to AirPods improvements, Apple is likely to unveil new releases of iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, and watchOS 26. The WWDC keynote will start at 10 AM PDT (10:30 PM IST) on June 9.
