Apple has just unveiled two new AirPods features as part of its WWDC 2025 keynote, where it’s revealed new software updates for iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and everything else.
Everything else includes Apple’s best AirPods, because the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC will all get two new features as part of the new updates.
The first feature is “studio-quality audio recording”, while the second is “camera remote” – both are small updates compared to the huge AirPods hearing aid mode revealed last year, but both seem like they could be useful regularly.
It’s only the three models that will get these upgrades, because they’re the only models with the H2 chip powering them. Yes, even the recently refreshed AirPods Max with USB-C won’t get them, because they still use the old H1 chip.
Here’s what Apple has revealed about the upgrades so far.
Studio-quality audio recording
The first feature promises richer audio quality when using your AirPods mics to record or during calls. Apple says “Interviewers, podcasters, singers, and other creators can record their content with greater sound quality, and even record while on the go or in noisy environments with Voice Isolation.”
Now, I don’t think you need to be a content creator to benefit from this. Apple says “users will also enjoy more natural vocal texture and clarity across iPhone calls, FaceTime, and CallKit-enabled apps”, so hopefully it means your WhatsApp calls and everything else will get a boost in clarity. Apple says it will also work in Voice Memos, video recording apps and dictation tools.
We test the microphone and voice quality of all the best earbuds we recommend, so I look forward to seeing how this improves things, because Apple already boosted the AirPods Pro 2’s voice quality ones.
Camera control
Apple says that “Capturing content at a distance is easier than ever with camera remote.” You’ll now be able to press and hold on the AirPods’ stem to take a photo or start a video recording, and then you can repeat the action to end the recording.
Apple highlights being able to hear a soundtrack while dancing as a main benefit of this tool, but for those of us who don’t live our lives one TikTok trend at a time, it seems really useful if it also works when your AirPods aren’t in your ears, so you can trigger the camera for a family photo.
There’s a few bits of information we don’t know here – first is whether they work when not in your ears, as I mentioned above, and second is whether you need to choose whether the gesture triggers photos or video, or whether there’s a way to have it do either (maybe left can do video and right can do photos).
I have to say, it feels like this one could have been an upgrade for AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 1st Gen as well – I really don’t think it needs the H2 chip, but Apple has only announced it for the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models.
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