- Apple is rolling out auto-pause for AirPods when you’re asleep
- It seems the feature could come to Beats headphones too
- The option is currently in testing in the developer beta of iOS 26
At WWDC 2025 last month, Apple briefly mentioned a new AirPods feature coming with iOS 26: a toggle switch for having audio automatically pause if you fall asleep while wearing your wireless earbuds. Now it seems the same functionality is coming to Beats headphones, too.
Beats is of course now owned by Apple, but it wasn’t previously clear if Beats-branded devices would get the pause media option. According to code spotted by tipster Steve Moser and MacRumors, these headphones and earbuds will indeed be included.
Right now, you need the developer beta of iOS 26 and the beta version of the AirPods firmware installed, and either the AirPods Pro 2 or the AirPods 4 to find the option: with your AirPods in your ears, open Settings on your iPhone, then tap AirPods. You should see a new Pause Media When Falling Asleep toggle switch.
It’s a clever trick, but Apple hasn’t explained how it works – and I haven’t had chance to test it yet (though I’m more than willing to spend some time napping for work). It apparently doesn’t need any additional hardware to work, such as an Apple Watch.
Details to be confirmed
While the full iOS 26 rollout (due September) is still a way off, Apple has presumably already got this working reliably enough – even if there’s not much of a difference between someone lying back and relaxing while listening to a podcast or playlist, and someone actually falling asleep with their AirPods in.
If this does end up working reliably, it’d certainly be a welcome feature: it’d help save on battery life, as well as meaning you don’t lose your place in whatever media you’re listening to – although it’s not known how quickly the auto-pause kicks in.
Nor do we know which Beats headphones are going to be included and have the necessary sensor tech inside them. Presumably, the more recent models would be included, such as the impressive Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds we reviewed earlier this year, but we’ll have to wait for confirmation from Apple.
This pause-when-sleeping functionality isn’t the only new trick coming to the best AirPods with iOS 26: the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 are also going to get better audio recording through their mics and remote iPhone camera control.
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