Apple is set to unveil major updates for its AirPods headphones at next week's WWDC 2025 event. According to 9to5Mac, the company is working on a new feature that will allow users to control the camera of their iPhone or iPad via AirPods. This feature will reportedly allow you to take a picture by tapping the AirPods' stem.
At the same time, another innovation from Apple is an automatic sleep detection system. This feature will automatically stop the sound being played when the user falls asleep while wearing AirPods. According to 9to5Mac, it is not yet clear whether this feature will require an Apple Watch to work.
In addition, Apple is said to be working on new head movement gestures that will expand the "Conversation Awareness" feature. It may also add a "studio-quality" microphone mode to AirPods, which will be similar to the audio feature introduced on the iPhone 16 and reduces background noise in videos.
Finally, Apple is working on a simpler process that will allow students and faculty to more easily connect AirPods to shared iPads.
We won't have to wait long for all these new features to be officially confirmed — WWDC 2025 kicks off on June 9th.