Apple is working on AirPods that have cameras for feeding data to Siri. The new earbuds will be Apple's first AI wearable, and current rumors suggest they're going to come out in late 2027.

Design

The AirPods will look similar to the current AirPods Pro 3, but with cameras embedded in the stem. Apple also plans to include a light that will come on when visual data from the AirPods is being sent to the cloud. The LED will let people around the wearer know the cameras are in use.



Size, design, and fit are expected to remain the largely same for the earbuds and the charging case, with the exception of the changes to the stem.

Rumors suggest Apple will use tiny infrared cameras, similar to the infrared camera used for Face ID.

Features

The cameras in the AirPods will be used for sending data about the wearer's surroundings to ‌Siri‌, giving ‌Siri‌ more information about where the user is and what's nearby.

‌Siri‌ will be able to answer questions about objects or whatever the wearer happens to be looking at. The camera-equipped AirPods could be useful for more exact turn-by-turn directions when walking, contextual reminders, 3D mapping, and more.

The iPhone already has Visual Intelligence, which uses AI to identify plants, animals, landmarks, art, books, and more. Camera-equipped AirPods will be able to supply data for ‌Visual Intelligence‌ without the need to use the Camera app.

Users aren't likely to be able to use the cameras to capture photos and videos.

H3 Chip

Apple is working on an upgraded H3 chip and it could make its first appearance in the next AirPods Pro. The H3 chip is expected to bring latency improvements and better audio quality.

Naming

Initial rumors about the AirPods with cameras said they wouldn't be a full new model and wouldn't be called the AirPods Pro 4, but launch timing has since changed. It's now likely the AirPods will be part of the AirPods Pro line, but naming is still unsettled.

Apple could call them the AirPods Pro 4, but AirPods Ultra is also a possibility.

Pricing

With the addition of cameras, the AirPods could be more expensive than the current $249 ‌AirPods Pro 3‌.

Compatibility

Since the AirPods will feed data to ‌Siri‌, an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence will be required to use the features. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is available on the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

Release Date

There were rumors suggesting the camera-equipped AirPods could come out as soon as this year, but the latest information indicates the new earbuds will launch in late 2027 alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone and a second-generation foldable iPhone.

Apple reportedly needed more time for the AirPods to design visual AI models capable of identifying objects.

Apple is testing the new AirPods with iOS 28, an update that Apple is already developing.
This article, "Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Ultra: What to Expect" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is working on a macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 update that's expected to come out in the near future. The second macOS Golden Gate beta includes an upgrade path from ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.5.2, which suggests 26.5.2 is an upcoming build that Apple expects devices to be running soon.


The update will be released alongside iOS 26.5.2, which we've already confirmed is in testing based on MacRumors visitor logs.

‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.5.2 and iOS 26.5.2 are expected to be minor updates with bug fixes and security updates.

Apple is also testing ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6 and iOS 26.6 updates, and two betas have been released so far. With the 26.6 software not too far off, it's likely we'll get iOS 26.5.2 and ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.5.2 this week.
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Apple is planning to remove the AirPort Utility app from the App Store in the near future, according to the release notes for iOS 27 beta 2. The app is no longer fully supported in ‌iOS 27‌, and Apple warns that it is not guaranteed to work.

AirPort Utility will no longer be available for new downloads from the App Store. If you previously downloaded the app, you can still re-download it. When using AirPort Utility on iOS 27 and later, functionality is not guaranteed.

Users who have downloaded AirPort Utility in the past will be able to re-download it if needed.

Apple also plans to remove AirPort Utility from new installations of macOS, but users who already have it installed will continue to be able to use it after updating to new versions of macOS. As with ‌iOS 27‌, Apple says it isn't guaranteed to work in macOS Golden Gate.

AirPort Utility lets users manage AirPort base stations like the AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and AirPort Time Capsule. Apple discontinued its AirPort routers back in 2018, but has continued to support them through the AirPort Utility app.

With ‌macOS Golden Gate‌, Apple is eliminating AFP support, which means the Time Machine feature on Macs will no longer work with the AirPort Time Capsule.

With Time Capsule support ending and Apple sunsetting the AirPort Utility app, it's clear Apple does not plan to continue offering updates to users who are still holding on to their AirPort devices.
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With the second beta of iOS 27, Apple added support for replying to a specific message in an RCS conversation with an Android user.


You can now long press on a message to get to the option to reply, and it works the same way that it does with iMessage.


‌iOS 27‌ also displays tapback/reaction emoji to images and videos properly. In iOS 26, it would use a text descriptor, such as [x loved an image] instead of showing the emoji. In ‌iOS 27‌, the emoji shows up on the image or video as it does in an iMessage conversation.

Apple added support for ‌RCS‌ in iOS 18, and has been improving it since then. iOS 26.5 added encryption for ‌RCS‌ messages sent between iPhone and Android users, and now more of the ‌RCS‌ features are being implemented.

For ‌RCS‌ reply threading to work properly, both the sender and the recipient need to have a smartphone and carrier that supports ‌RCS‌.

‌iOS 27‌ is limited to developers currently, but it will be available to the public when Apple releases a public beta in July. The software will see an official launch in September.
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In iOS 27 beta 2, Apple updated the Home app to add support for remotely updating an Apple TV.


The ‌Apple TV‌ is now listed in the Updates section of the Home app's Settings interface, and tapping on the ‌Apple TV‌ update button installs the latest software without needing to turn on the ‌Apple TV‌.

The HomePod and HomePod mini have long been able to be updated through the Home app, so the ‌iOS 27‌ change for the ‌Apple TV‌ puts it on par with the ‌HomePod‌. The ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌ run a variant of tvOS, so it makes sense for the ‌Apple TV‌ to be updated in the same way.

Apple's decision to add the ‌Apple TV‌ to the Home app update interface suggests that the upcoming home hub device that's in the works will also be controlled and updated through the Home app.

Apple is expected to release a dedicated home hub later this year, and it will run a version of tvOS like the ‌HomePod‌. It will be a centralized spot for controlling smart home products, making video calls, getting information like the current weather, and interfacing with Siri. The device is expected to have a 7-inch square display with built-in speakers, and it could be something of a HomePod-iPad hybrid.
This article, "A Small iOS 27 Change Hints at Apple's Long-Rumored Home Hub" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has added a new "Insights" feature to the Wallet app in the second iOS 27 beta. Accessible by tapping the three dots in the upper right corner, Insights appears to let users add different financial accounts to monitor their spending.


A splash screen for the feature says users will be able to connect accounts to Wallet to see spending insights, recurring transactions, account balances, and more. The fine print says the following: "Your device is connected to your financial institution by an Apple wholly owned subsidiary, which fetches, categorizes, and standardizes your account information for display on your device. Your account information is not stored."

Tapping on the Continue button on the splash screen goes to the Add to Wallet interface with no new options available, so it does not appear to be functional at this time.

Apple has detailed transaction information for the Apple Card, but support for other cards and accounts has been limited. Apple did introduce a Connected Cards (later renamed Connected Accounts) feature in iOS 17.1, but it saw limited adoption. Discover implemented support and users could see their total card balance, Pay with Rewards, and transaction history, but Discover removed the functionality in early June and almost no other U.S. issuers ever used it. Several UK banks still have deeper integration with the Wallet app's Connected Accounts option.

It looks like Insights could be a successor to Connected Accounts that will work without card issuers specifically adding in support.

Update: We've heard from several users whose banks have offered Connected Accounts integration, and the new Insights feature in ‌iOS 27‌ beta 2 is working for them, displaying spending highlights and details, so it's clear that Insights is indeed an evolution of the existing Connected Accounts feature.
This article, "Wallet App Gets New 'Insights' Feature in iOS 27 Beta 2" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today provided developers with the second beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming two weeks after Apple seeded the first beta.


Developers can download ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

‌macOS Golden Gate‌ includes multiple design improvements. Liquid Glass opacity has been improved to increase readability, there's a slider for controlling the level of transparency, and changes to shadowing make it easier to tell when a window is active. Apps now have uniform toolbars, edge-to-edge sidebars, and less rounded corners, plus there are fewer icons in menu bars.

Siri has been transformed into ‌Siri‌ AI, a chatbot-style assistant that combines general world knowledge, your personal data, and onscreen awareness to answer questions about anything and find information for you. ‌Siri‌ lives in Spotlight, and you can ask questions with the new Search or Ask interface.

There's also a ‌Siri‌ app where you can chat with ‌Siri‌ and view past conversations, and on newer Macs, you can set a custom voice for ‌Siri‌ with personalized pace and expressivity. Visual Intelligence is now on the Mac so ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about what's on your screen, and a Write with ‌Siri‌ feature lets ‌Siri‌ generate text or give feedback on your writing.

There are AI photo editing tools in the Photos app, AI tab organization in Safari, an option to use AI to automatically update weak passwords in the Passwords app, and a revamped Image Playground app that can generate photorealistic images.

More on all of the new features in ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ can be found in our macOS Golden Gate roundup. ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ is limited to developers right now, but Apple plans to release a public beta in July.
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Apple today seeded the second betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the first betas following the WWDC 2026 keynote.


Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.

‌iOS 27‌ introduces Apple's smarter version of Siri, ‌Siri‌ AI. ‌Siri‌ AI is a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, incorporating general world knowledge, personal data from apps like Messages and Mail, and onscreen awareness to answer questions and find information for you.

There are new Apple Intelligence features in apps like Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords, plus Apple added a standalone ‌Siri‌ app that houses ‌Siri‌ conversations. Write with ‌Siri‌ is available systemwide for generating text or offering feedback on your writing, and Visual Intelligence has been relocated to the Camera app with a new ‌Siri‌ mode.

Apple improved the look of Liquid Glass and added a slider for customizing transparency. There are multiple performance improvements to speed up iOS, so everything feels faster, even on older iPhones. Apps launch quicker, AirDrop transfers are faster, the keyboard pops up more quickly, and devices are better at transitioning between Wi-Fi and Cellular to keep you connected.

For more on what's new in ‌iOS 27‌, we have a dedicated iOS 27 roundup.
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Apple today seeded the second beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the first beta following the WWDC keynote.


The beta can be downloaded and installed through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A free developer account is required.

tvOS 27 has few new features compared to the other 27 software updates, but it does add a redesigned Podcasts app, options for larger text, and a more responsive Control Center.

AirPlaying to an ‌Apple TV‌ from another Apple device is faster, and apps and animations are smoother. You can also now see AppleCare coverage details in the Settings app.

More on the features in tvOS 27 can be found in our Apple TV roundup.
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Apple today provided developers with the second beta of an upcoming visionOS 27 update for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple released the first beta.


visionOS 27 can be installed by opening the Settings app, going to Software Updates, and opting into Beta Updates.

visionOS 27 introduces Siri AI, the smarter and more capable version of ‌Siri‌ that's similar in capability to chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. On the Vision Pro, ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about anything the wearer is looking at, and there's a new ‌Siri‌ orb that can be placed anywhere in wearer's virtual space.

Panorama photos can be turned into spatial environments, and there's a new Icelandic Thórsmörk environment that features dramatic mountains, valleys, and glaciers, along with the northern lights. Web Environment support allows developers to create 360-degree environments in Safari for a more native Vision Pro browsing experience.

App windows are now curved to provide a more immersive workspace, and Control Center has been reorganized to make system controls easier to find. Apple added a smaller widget size, and notifications automatically expand when the wearer looks at them.

More on what's new in visionOS 27 is listed in our Vision Pro roundup.
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