Apple's AirPods with cameras for AI-powered Siri reach advanced testing after four years

Apple's AirPods with cameras for AI are apparently close to production

Apple's rumored AirPods with cameras are nearing a stage where the company will test early mass production, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Currently, Apple testers are "actively using" prototypes that are in the design validation test stage, which is one step before the production validation test stage. The AirPods' cameras "aren't designed" to snap photos or video but instead can take in "visual information in low resolution" that users can query Siri about, like asking the AI assistant what they should cook with the ingredients they have in front of them, according to Gurman. They may also use the cameras to help with things like turn-by-turn directions. These new AirPods will look like the AirPods Pro 3 but have longer stems due to the camera technology, Gurman says. The AirPods will have a "small" LED light to indicate when "visual data is being fed into the cloud." Apple apparently wanted to launch the new AirPods as early as sometime in the first half of 2026, but that was pushed following delays to its upgraded Siri. Gurman says the improved Siri is "on track" to hit in September -- perhaps these new AirPods will launch around that same timeframe. (The AirPods Pro 3 were announced and released in September 2025.) Apple's push into AI-infused gadgets will put it in competition with Meta, which has had success with its smart glasses, and might give the company a leg up on OpenAI, which is reportedly making a phone. Apple is also developing smart glasses and an AI pendant that could launch as soon as early 2027, according to Gurman.

I'm already dreading Apple's camera-equipped AirPods - Engadget

Well, it seems like those-rumored AirPods with cameras are close to being real, according to the latest report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new earbuds are said to use low-resolution cameras on their stalks to capture low-resolution imagery, which will ultimately be fed to Apple's long-delayed AI Siri assistant. And the more I hear about them, the more they sound like Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, just without the ability to take clear photos and videos. The camera-equipped Airpods are reportedly in Apple's "design validation testing" (DVT) stage, where workers are using prototypes to test their capabilities. There's no word on when we may actually see them, but according to Gurman they were initially slated to debut "as early as the first half" of 2026, only to be pushed back by AI Siri delays. Now, he believes that Siri upgrade will arrive in September (likely alongside the foldable iPhone and iPhone 18 models). So what will you actually be able to do with these things? Gurman says they'll basically serve as the eyes for Apple's smarter Siri, allowing you to ask questions about anything in front of you. Intriguingly, they may also be able to remind you of objects -- like when you pass the eggs in the supermarket -- and help deliver directions based on landmarks. Apple Maps already does a better job than Google of delivering intuitive directions while driving (I love when it prepares me to take a turn after the next light), so I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar for walking directions. But even if the new AirPods will have a low-resolution view of the world, they'll still technically be yet another surveillance device, and that alone may turn off privacy-focused users who've already written off Meta's smart glasses. Gurman reports they may have some sort of indicator of when the cameras are active, which is the least Apple could do. I get it, Apple and all of its compatriots want to make using their AI devices seamless. Why pull out your phone? Why even ask Siri a question aloud? Just let the AI device deliver information directly to your ear holes, while your brain gets all the smoother. These camera-toting AirPods won't be Apple's only AI-focused hardware: Gurman also reports that we may eventually see smart glasses and a pendant. The Information also previously reported that the company was working on AI pin (yet another device I find dubious).

Apple hits milestone in development of AirPods with cameras: report - 9to5Mac

Apple just reached a major milestone in its development of AirPods with cameras, a new report says. Bloomberg reports today that Apple's work on AirPods with built-in cameras has "entered a phase where prototypes feature a near-final design and capabilities." There will be a camera in both the right and left earbuds, according to the report. The cameras, however, won't be used for photo or video capture. Instead, they'll serve as the "the eyes" for Siri and will capture the environment around a user in low resolution. The idea is to let users ask questions about an item they might be looking at. For instance, they could be facing food ingredients and ask what they should cook for dinner. It's a similar experience to what someone gets from uploading photos in AI services like OpenAI's ChatGPT or the iPhone's own Visual Intelligence function. Apple has also been working on other uses for the AI cameras. The device could give the wearer a reminder based on something the camera sees, or it might use external visuals to provide more advanced turn-by-turn directions. The AI could cite a specific landmark ahead when telling users when they should turn. These AirPods are said to feature longer stems than normal AirPods Pro to accommodate the cameras. Otherwise, they'll look largely the same. The AirPods with cameras will include a small LED that will "turn on when visual data is being fed into the cloud." The AirPods are said to be in advanced testing, with testers inside Apple using prototypes in the design validation testing," or DVT, stage of development. The next and final stage is "production validation testing," or PVT. This is when Apple will begin early mass production of the product. In terms of a release date, Bloomberg says Apple had planned for a launch as early as the first half of this year. That launch was postponed due to continued delays impacting Apple's next-generation version of Siri. The AirPods have been in development inside Apple for four years. Apple is reportedly expecting "strong demand" for AirPods with cameras and is working on secure components for mass production.

AirPods Pro With AI Cameras Reach 'Advanced' Testing Stage

Apple's upcoming camera-equipped AirPods Pro are nearing completion and have reached an "advanced" testing stage, reports Bloomberg. The design is almost finalized, as is the feature set, and early mass production could begin soon. The AirPods Pro will have built-in cameras that will feed visual information about the wearer's surroundings to Siri. While there will be a longer stem for the camera in each AirPod, the device will otherwise look similar to the AirPods Pro 3. The cameras in the AirPods will not be able to take photos or videos, and will solely be used for AI purposes. A small LED light will illuminate when the AirPods are sending visual information to Siri. Apple wants users to be able to look at an item and ask Siri questions about it, working similarly to image uploads in chatbot apps. The cameras could also offer reminders based on visual information, and give more detailed turn-by-turn directions by viewing what's around the wearer. The Camera app in iOS 27 is also set to get a Siri mode that incorporates Visual Intelligence, letting users do things like scan nutrition labels on food packaging for calorie tracking. Apple wanted to start selling the camera-equipped AirPods Pro in the first half of 2026, but the product's launch has been held back because the smarter, AI version of Siri is not yet ready to be released. The new Siri is set to be introduced in September in iOS 27, macOS 27, and iPadOS 27, so we could see the AirPods Pro launch sometime in that same timeframe. Apple could also opt to wait to launch the AirPods if it is not satisfied with the quality of the Visual Intelligence features planned for Siri. It is not yet clear how the new AirPods will fit into Apple's lineup. Rumors suggest Apple does not intend to brand them as the "AirPods Pro 4," and they could instead be referred to as the AirPods Ultra, or perhaps AirPods Pro 3 With Cameras.

Apple's rumored camera-equipped AirPods are for Siri, not for you

These AI-focused AirPods could launch by year-end as part of Apple's OS 27 updates, representing four years of development work. The latest report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman describes that the oft-rumored "AirPods with cameras" are nearing completion. He says the product has reached a new milestone, and is now in the late stages of development, where the prototypes have the "near-final design and capabilities." This is the point where they make a few final tweaks and adjustments and finalize the software before entering production. The next stage is Product Validation Testing, where a limited production run is made and used for internal testing before being announced and sold to customers. Of course, the product hasn't yet been announced and could still be cancelled or delayed. However, given the stage of development they're at, they could be on shelves by the end of the year -- assuming the new Siri launch goes according to plan. Apple has to be happy with the quality of the new Visual Intelligence features before bringing these AirPods to market. The new Siri, now expected to be part of the OS 27 updates, is reportedly a central component of these AirPods, because that's what the cameras are for. According to Gurman's report, the cameras are located on each earbud stem, which will be slightly longer than the current AirPods Pro, and provide low-res information for Siri, rather than being designed to take photos or videos for users. They would allow you to simply look at things and ask Siri about them, from looking at a bunch of ingredients and asking what meal you could make (a scenario AI companies seem obsessed with for some reason), using landmarks when giving directions, or adding information from a poster to your calendar. Essentially, it's the same experience you would get invoking Visual Intelligence on your iPhone, without having to pull out your phone, hold it up to something, and take a picture. These new AirPods will appear similar to AirPods Pro 3, but with longer stems to accommodate the cameras and a visible LED light that will illuminate when visual data is being uploaded to the cloud. We don't know what these AirPods will cost or Apple will call them, but might we suggest AirPods Ultra? Gurman says they have been in development for around four years and are part of a wave of AI-centered products, which include a pin/pendant and smart glasses as well. The new AirPods are further along in development than those.

Apple Is Reportedly Testing AirPods With Built-in Cameras

Apple is reportedly preparing to launch camera-equipped AirPods as part of the company's broader AI technology and device ambitions. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, testers at Apple are using prototypes of the camera-equipped ear buds now, getting ever closer to production. Unlike wearable, camera-equipped devices like Meta's smart glasses, Gurman says that the AirPods with cameras are not designed at all for actually capturing photos or videos. Instead, the cameras can capture low-resolution images of the world around the user, powering contextual artificial intelligence. This is part of how smart glasses work, too, of course, accumulating visual data that interacts with an AI assistant. However, those can also take share-worthy photos and videos. Apple has reportedly been working on its own smart glasses for a while, too. On the other hand, plenty of people have also used tiny wearable cameras for nefarious and annoying things. Allegedly, some tech workers are spying on users' smart glasses images, too. Although the camera-equipped AirPods aren't meant to be a capture device, Gurman says they will have an indicator to show when the cameras are working. It's an important feature. Gurman explains that the cameras in the rumored AirPods could provide navigation information, remind people about items on shopping lists when they pass them in a store, and help Siri answer questions about real-world objects. As MacRumors notes, iOS 27's built-in Camera app is expected to work alongside an improved Siri to incorporate better Visual Intelligence. Unsurprisingly, in a world where increasing numbers are fed up with AI worming its way into seemingly everything, not everyone is on board. Devindra Hardawar over at Engadget questions the premise of such a product at all. "I get it, Apple and all of its compatriots want to make using their AI devices seamless. Why pull out your phone? Why even ask Siri a question aloud? Just let the AI device deliver information directly to your ear holes, while your brain gets all the smoother," Hardawar writes. Gurman speculates that the AirPods with cameras could arrive later this year.