Rumor: AirPods to Gain New Gestures, Camera Control, and Sleep Tracking

Apple is likely to announce five new AirPods features at the upcoming WWDC 2025, according to 9to5Mac.

New gestures

Apple is working on head-tilt gestures to adjust volume — currently done by pressing and swiping on the AirPods’ stem.

Auto-pause during sleep

AirPods may soon detect when a person is falling asleep. This would be useful for those who fall asleep to music or podcasts — the earbuds would automatically pause playback at the moment the user drifts off.

It’s not yet clear whether this will be a standalone AirPods feature or will work together with Apple Watch.

Camera control

AirPods may soon be used to control the camera. To take a photo, users would press the stem of the AirPod.

9to5Mac notes that it might look strange if users are seen touching their ears in every photo. It’s assumed the feature will work with a timer, or even when simply holding the AirPod in hand.

Audio Mix

Apple introduced the Audio Mix feature with the iPhone 16. It uses machine learning to separate speech elements and allows users to choose between three voice styles: In-frame, Studio, and Cinematic.

It’s now been revealed that Apple is working on a similar Audio Mix mode for AirPods, designed to better isolate audio and block out background noise.

Expanded capabilities

Apple is improving the feature that allows multiple AirPods to connect to a single iPad. The goal is to make the process easier in iPadOS.

All five features are expected to be announced at WWDC 2025 on June 9.