Apple accidentally leaked a video of its forthcoming camera-equipped AirPods earlier this week, thanks to a test version of an upcoming macOS update. Now we have even more information about the unique earbuds, also thanks to code buried in that macOS Tahoe 26.7 early build. The idea of camera-equipped earbuds is pretty wild on its own, but the details on how this will likely work are downright weird. Each earbud will reportedly have its own camera and images will be synchronized by the Visual Intelligence software into a cohesive whole. The cameras will take RGB still images up to just 1 megapixel. The AirPods will account for head movement, which isn't a surprise as the company's earbuds already have multiple accelerometers.

Apple appears to have accidentally leaked its camera-equipped AirPods in a video tucked into the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate, MacRumors reported. The new AirPods are said to have a camera that can feed low-res imagery to Apple's long-delayed AI Siri assistant, which can then tell the viewer what they're seeing via a new function called Visual Intelligence. They were first tipped by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman back in May. In the video (also revealed by X user @aaronp613), a man wearing AirPods asks Siri to remember the book he's currently checking out. In response, Siri's voiceover states: "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes saveable. Just ask me to save it for later."

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Beta testing then gets underway, before a full release later in the year--typically September for iOS to coincide with the launch of the new iPhones. At WWDC 2025, Apple has announced some sweeping changes to its software platforms, as well as a shift in numbering. All of this year's releases will be version 26, to match the year 2026 that they'll last until, and to keep more consistency across devices. Here are the key new iOS 26 and macOS features, and how you can sign up to test these updates ahead of their full release.