Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

[MacRumors]

Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that appear to be nearly ready to launch, based on a video MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate.

In a short demo, a man holds a book up so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text.

Here is your first look at AirPods with Cameras in action using Visual Intelligence.This video file came from macOS 26.7 RC pic.twitter.com/yo7RI4MCeu— Aaron (@Aaronp613) August 18, 2026​

The camera on the AirPods will feed information to Visual Intelligence, and Siri will be able to answer questions about the wearer's surroundings and log information. There is a direct reference to setting up Visual Intelligence on the AirPods.

If hair is covering the AirPods up, you'll receive an alert. "To get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods are not covered," it says.

The camera-equipped AirPods have the codename B790, which was also previously mentioned by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman suggested the AirPods could launch as soon as September, so we could see them at the iPhone-centric event where Apple will unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra.

macOS Tahoe 26.7 has multiple other mentions of the B790 product, as well as references to a long list of other unreleased Apple products.

Article Link: Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

 

[I7guy]

So did apple make a big boo-boo with all of these references in tahoe 26.7?

 

[Takeo Apple]

I highly doubt it’s a camera. I would think it’s something like Lidar - a new tech that can use light to “read” but not to take photos etc and consumes less power.

 

[jz0309]

So, if that camera can read, as this video suggests the title of a book, what is stopping it from recording? The SW? Recording could happen on the iPhone it is paired to ...

Don't know what to make out of this... other than, not for me

 

[Spock]

This will be worse than the Meta Glasses that people are already complaining about, this isn’t a good idea.

 

[jz0309]

So did apple make a big boo-boo with all of these references in tahoe 26.7?

Another one? There was some big boo-boo a few months ago ... it's odd

 

[turbineseaplane]

Oh my ..

So many concerns here.

I hope they don't get Airpods banned in gyms & locker rooms with stuff like this.

 

[chrisdazzo]

I mean, he could also be wearing the new Apple Monocle. 🧐

 

[MyDogPia]

Wonder if it could warn the person of imminent danger. Like a car coming right at them and they don't see the car because they are staring down at their iPhone.

 

[zenmacx]

Oh my ..

So many concerns here.

My sentiments exactly!

No matter if it's cameras in AirPods, or Apple Glasses...

It makes one wonder, just what is this company up to?

Oh sure there's the warm and fuzzy narrative and marketing speak they promote.

Then there's the potential risks that cameras everywhere present.

 

[Apple118]

I’m sure Apple will lean on private cloud compute to dispel the privacy issue, but it feels like they’re specifically designing hardware that’s so dependant on AI that they can lock you into an iCloud+ subscription in the future, or risk having all your shiny new gadgets become shiny new paper weights.

Kinda like how the iPod ushered in a new era of portable music that is now a miserable app and software experience unless you pay for Apple Music.

Count me out!

 

[Eric_WVGG]

I highly doubt it’s a camera. I would think it’s something like Lidar - a new tech that can use light to “read” but not to take photos etc and consumes less power.

Lidar is like radar, it can only detect the shape of things. It could tell that you were holding a book or possibly a block of wood or huge chocolate bar.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’m sure Apple will lean on private cloud compute to dispel the privacy issue, but it feels like they’re specifically designing hardware that’s so dependant on AI that they can lock you into an iCloud+ subscription in the future, or risk having all your shiny new gadgets become shiny new paper weights.

Kinda like how the iPod ushered in a new era of portable music that is now a miserable app and software experience unless you pay for Apple Music.

Count me out!

The problem with this kind of product is that the usual privacy assurances are inverted here.

As the owner/user/wearer of camera equipped AirPods, I'm not worried about privacy.

The concern is for everyone around me that didn't sign up or agree to be getting recorded, no matter what it's for.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy52]

Not happening, Apple. I can take a photo with my phone or just write it down. I'm not wandering around places with AirPods in (not that I own any).

 

[JohnC1959]

I highly doubt it’s a camera. I would think it’s something like Lidar - a new tech that can use light to “read” but not to take photos etc and consumes less power.

Lidar is what's used for FaceID. It supplements a camera to provide depth information. As it's about depth, it can't help with flat text.

 

[deconstruct60]

I highly doubt it’s a camera. I would think it’s something like Lidar - a new tech that can use light to “read” but not to take photos etc and consumes less power.

Lidar emits light (hence llight/laser-radar ) has to produce it. That production will cost energy. A camera is a mostly passive sensor that consumes light produced by something else. Light coming in converts to electrons. It has to be processed to compose what is stored in a file as a 'picture' , but the Lidar has to receive the light that it send out. So it also has about the same overhead as the camera has as a receiver.

Lidar is good for tracking shapes and distances. But reading the cover of a book and inferencing from the author's name and title... it likely isn't helpful. It would just maybe tell you it is a book that is x by y centimeters big.

 

[Macalway]

I like the idea of this. A sneaky way around the spy glasses hate. Too many of these around already.

Cheaper also!

Kudos Apple.

 

[neuropsychguy]

This will be worse than the Meta Glasses that people are already complaining about, this isn’t a good idea.

Or you could wait to judge them once they are released.

 

[jz0309]

See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text.

Re-read the article and the above stood out for me, clearly it is recording, as in like "show me that drawing I looked at at store xyz this afternoon" - this is creepy, no other words for it.

Or, is Apple leaking this intentionally to see user reactions? Before a release?
And presumably all these new products will require the 27 version of the OS, so why all these reference in 26.7???

 

[Takeo Apple]

Lidar is like radar, it can only detect the shape of things. It could tell that you were holding a book or possibly a block of wood or huge chocolate bar.

That’s correct. But there is new tech that uses waveforms to read and isn’t a camera. It’s not Lidar either.

 

[deconstruct60]

So, if that camera can read, as this video suggests the title of a book, what is stopping it from recording? The SW? Recording could happen on the iPhone it is paired to ...

What is the material difference between this and FaceID or TouchID. the biometric data is held just long enough to verify and then dumped. No other apps can get to it. There is no API to read data from FaceId or TouchID to normal apps.

The data is is more chunky here. And closer to TouchID on a wireless keyboard as opposed to on device (so need some enhanced authentication/encryption to get it over the gap. ) If trusting iOS/MacOs to keep your passwords, credit card , passkeys safe then there isn't a big stretch to pass the data to a trusted function to get an answer.

[ I know there are 'black helicopter' foks who don't do TouchID or FaceID because then the dark, deep state has capture your info and trust nothing. ]


Now if there is an augment to the API to funnels this picture off to OpenAL/Grok/etc ... then it is a bigger much bigger mess.

 

[JohnC1959]

Re-read the article and the above stood out for me, clearly it is recording, as in like "show me that drawing I looked at at store xyz this afternoon" - this is creepy, no other words for it.

Or, is Apple leaking this intentionally to see user reactions? Before a release?
And presumably all these new products will require the 27 version of the OS, so why all these reference in 26.7???

Based on that statement in the article it may not be recording a photo. It could be saving the description of the view such as "There was store xyz at address xxxxx" or a sign that read "xxxxxx" or the name of some plant you looked at.

 

[buklauu]

Lidar is what's used for FaceID. It supplements a camera to provide depth information. As it's about depth, it can't help with flat text.

Face ID isn’t LiDAR?

 

[jjrtiger]

Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that appear to be nearly ready to launch, based on a video MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate.

In a short demo, a man holds a book up so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text.

Here is your first look at AirPods with Cameras in action using Visual Intelligence.This video file came from macOS 26.7 RC pic.twitter.com/yo7RI4MCeu— Aaron (@Aaronp613) August 18, 2026​

The camera on the AirPods will feed information to Visual Intelligence, and Siri will be able to answer questions about the wearer's surroundings and log information. There is a direct reference to setting up Visual Intelligence on the AirPods.

If hair is covering the AirPods up, you'll receive an alert. "To get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods are not covered," it says.

The camera-equipped AirPods have the codename B790, which was also previously mentioned by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman suggested the AirPods could launch as soon as September, so we could see them at the iPhone-centric event where Apple will unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra.

macOS Tahoe 26.7 has multiple other mentions of the B790 product, as well as references to a long list of other unreleased Apple products.

Article Link: Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

A solution looking for a problem. Who has ever thought “man I wish my AirPods had cameras on them”

Yeah I can see some use cases around navigation or directions. Or looking at a restaurant you’re passing and adding it to a list. But none of these outweigh the privacy violations/exploits. Apple had problems with AirTags…just imagine what societal complaints AirPods with cameras will entail…

 

[WebHead]

If this is the beginning of the end of vertical video, I for one welcome it.

Also anything that reduces smartphone zombies...