WWDC 2025 kicks off next week with Apple expected to preview the latest operating system (OS) iterations for its devices, but that may not be all. As per a report, the company will announce several new features for its audio products such as the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4. It could bring new head gestures which may allow users to toggle Conversation Awareness to adjust volume by moving their head. Further, the AirPods may also be able to detect when a user has fallen asleep to pause music playback.
AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 New Features
9to5Mac reports that Apple will introduce as many as five new features for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 next week. The company is said to expand head gestures to include Conversational Awareness volume adjustment. This may allow the AirPods to automatically lower the media volume when a person’s voice is detected, via a head gesture. It will then go back to the original noise-control setting when the conversation ends, as per the report.
Another feature reported to make its way to the AirPods is sleep auto-pause. As the name suggests, it may detect if the user has fallen asleep to pause music playback. The feature could improve upon the existing capability which works by setting up a snooze timer. However, it remains unknown if it would have standalone functionality or work in tandem with the Apple Watch.
The report states that Apple could introduce camera control on the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 at WWDC 2025. It is speculated to let users toggle the iPhone or the iPad’s camera by pinching or clicking the AirPods’ stem.
Meanwhile, the Cupertino-based tech giant may also bring Audio Mix, a feature which it debuted with the iPhone 16 series, to its audio lineup. It leverages machine learning to separate other elements from speech and adjust background sounds and reverb. While it may not have all of the three modes that are currently available on the iPhone, Apple is reported to be developing “studio quality” for the AirPods.
The last feature which the iPhone maker is currently said to be working on is aimed at improving the pairing experience in shared iPad models. This is reported to prove particularly useful in classrooms where a single device is used by multiple students. It may streamline the process of connecting AirPods to iPadOS, with fewer manual interventions required.
More details are likely to surface next week when Apple takes the wraps off its latest announcements during WWDC 2025.
