Apple’s Camera-Equipped AirPods Just Leaked, and They Can See What You See

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Apple’s Camera-Equipped AirPods Just Leaked, and They Can See What You See


We have been hearing about AirPods with built-in cameras for quite some time, but now we finally know what Apple plans to do with them. A short video found inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 Release Candidate shows the new AirPods using Visual Intelligence in the real world. And no, the cameras aren’t there so you can take photos with your ears.
The leaked clip was found by MacRumors and later shared on X. It shows a man holding up a book while wearing what looks like a normal pair of AirPods Pro. Visual Intelligence sees the book and lets the user save it for later through Siri.

These AirPods can see the world around you

The idea is quite simple. Apple is adding small cameras to the AirPods so Siri can see what is around you. You could look at an object and ask Siri what it is, get more details about something you see, or save information without taking your iPhone out of your pocket.

Earlier reports suggested the cameras could also help with walking directions and reminders based on what is around you. They are not meant for taking normal photos or recording video. Instead, they work as a pair of extra eyes for Siri and Visual Intelligence.

Here’s the thing, though. I wasn’t fully sold on this idea when the first rumors appeared. Putting cameras in a pair of earbuds sounded a little strange, especially when smart glasses can do the same job from a much better position.

After seeing how Apple plans to use them, I can understand the idea a little better.

They look almost like normal AirPods Pro

The AirPods shown in the video look very similar to the current AirPods Pro. The main difference seems to be a slightly thicker stem, which makes sense if Apple needs extra room for the camera hardware.

Apple is reportedly developing them under the B790 codename, which also appears several times inside macOS Tahoe 26.7. Previous reports from Bloomberg have linked the same code to Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods project.

There may also be a small LED that lights up when the cameras are sending visual data to Siri. I think Apple will need something like this. People are already worried about cameras on smart glasses, and a camera hidden inside something as common as AirPods could raise even more privacy questions.

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Apple’s answer to smart glasses?

This is where things get interesting. Apple is also working on smart glasses, but camera-equipped AirPods could offer some of the same AI features without asking people to wear another device on their face.

And AirPods already have one huge advantage: millions of people wear them every day.

The new model could arrive as soon as September, although Apple has not announced anything yet. Reports also suggest it may sit above the AirPods Pro 3 rather than replace them, with Apple possibly using the AirPods Ultra name.

To be honest, I still think smart glasses make more sense for Visual Intelligence. A camera next to your eyes has a much better view of what you’re actually looking at than one sitting near your ear.

But Apple doesn’t need to convince everyone to buy smart glasses if it can turn AirPods into an AI wearable first. And if Siri can really understand what is around me without forcing me to pull out my iPhone every few minutes, camera-equipped AirPods suddenly sound much less crazy than they did a year ago.