Air Pods with cameras could not arrive at a worse time — and I'll just say no | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Details

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Air Pods with cameras could not arrive at a worse time — and I'll just say no

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Here's something I never thought: What if my ears could see? The very idea of it conjures visions of earlobes with clusters of tiny, spider-like eyes.

Of course, now we're all considering this possibility thanks to what appears to be a stunning crack in Apple's typically rock-solid dome of product secrecy.

As we reported earlier this week, Mac Rumors dug into one of the mac OS 27 release candidates and unearthed a short bit of video featuring a man wearing Air Pods Pro earbuds but somehow using them with Apple Intelligence to save an image of a book for later.

The guy isn't wearing glasses, so it's not the rumored Apple i Glass or Apple Vision Wear at work here. Instead, everyone believes this is the first confirmation that Apple is working on Air Pods with cameras or "Air Pods Vision," a pair of Bluetooth earbuds also equipped with vision sensors that, in concert with your connected i Phone, can use Apple Intelligence to recognize objects and then store information about them for retrieval later.

Here is your first look at Air Pods with Cameras in action using Visual Intelligence. This video file came from mac OS 26.7 RC pic.twitter.com/yo 7RI4MCeu August 18, 2026

I spent some time staring at the bud in the guy's ear, and it looks, from this angle, exactly like the current Air Pods Pro 3 I currently wear. I assume that whatever sensors the buds are using live on the opposite side, facing out so they can "see" what you see.

'These things aren't meant to take pictures.' As a fresh clip of camera-equipped Air Pods leaks, people appear to have already made their minds up — whatever the experts say

A fresh report points to new Air Pods in 2026, but not Apple's camera-enhanced buds

We got a first look at Samsung Intelligent Eyewear, the smart glasses entering a fraught market worried about privacy

I also got caught up in the book the guy is memorizing. Could, Should, Might, Don't, is a real book by former design head for Google X, Nick Foster. In it, he dives into four mindsets of, I guess, future ideation and innovation:

"Could" revolves around the wild possibilities (probably why we watch and love Star Trek).

"Should" is sort of the realist's approach to what we should do based on on-the-ground facts and data.

"Might" appears to combine elements of the first two.

"Don't" is the risk-averse part. It's all the reasons people don't want Artificial General Intelligence or robots running AGI living with, working with, and maybe ultimately controlling us.

While not anti-tech or anti-innovation, the book has a point of view and seems an odd choice to include in what might be an i Phone and Air Pods tip video.

I look at the overall image and that book and think:

"Yeah, we Could do this, have Air Pods that can see, but we Should think about the consequences of another sensor on our body, and while it Might be cool to have an always-aware system memorizing things for you, we Don't want other people to freak out when they see cameras in our ears."

Usually, I would remind people that these are all rumors and Apple is always working on oddball stuff that will never see the light of day, but we have a tip video. Apple doesn't create tips for products it's never bringing to market.

'The chicification of surveillance is deeply concerning' — why our tech is getting far too close (and what you can do about it)

The smart glasses backlash hits new heights as celebs and activists unite

These bone conduction headphones have a tiny 4K camera for recordings

I think there's a good chance we will get these "seeing" Air Pods Pro this year. I understand the system probably isn't collecting and storing images of everything you see forever. It appears to be on demand, and the use of Apple Vision should mean that it takes the image, sends it to Apple's Private Cloud Compute, matches it with available data on the internet — "What is this book?" — and stores that data without the need for the actual photo or anything else the Air Pods Pro's sensors detected.

Even with those assurances, consumers are in no mood for more wearable sensors. Just look at the growing negative sentiment around smart glasses, which some are now calling "creep glasses."

The difference, of course, is that such smart wearable cameras are meant to both analyze the world you see and to capture and store photos and videos. The "creep" factor comes in from people circumventing the onboard privacy controls (trying to hide the LED lights) so they can surreptitiously capture photos and videos.

If they see cameras on your Air Pods, they will surely recoil and demand to know what they're for and if you are capturing images and video of them.

The problem with camera- or vision-equipped Air Pods, though, is that people will have similar concerns. If they see cameras on your Air Pods, they will surely recoil and demand to know what they're for and if you are capturing images and video of them. You might say no, but also secretly wish you had. The chance to document at least their face and name so you don't forget it the next time you see them would be too hard to pass up.

Air Pods Vision, if that's what they're called, might not allow you to capture images of living things, something that could seriously limit their utility except for use in quiet, windowsless, and people-free rooms like the one that guy is standing in. Oh, wait, that has a window. What if someone walks by? Does the Air Pods' vision system stop working?

In a few weeks, Apple will have a new CEO, John Ternus, who will want to put his stamp on the company. This could be his first opportunity. I know Tim Cook loved the idea of AR glasses and was definitely all in on sensor-filled wearables, especially ones that could improve your health and safety.

Ternus could recalibrate, though. I'm sure he'll continue to support the health and safety aspect, but maybe he pumps the brakes on glasses and these Air Pods with cameras until he has a better understanding of public sentiment and the privacy implications. There's a lot to discover, and given the challenges in these markets, there's no need to rush into anything.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

'There is no reliable, economical one-size-fits-all model on the horizon': Experts claim AI costs will grow fivefold by 2028, as demand continues to soar

This Lenovo Idea Tab with a stylus and folio case is built for hybrid workers and back-to-school students — and Amazon has it on a limited-time deal for $200

This World Photography Day, I’m getting lost in the late David Hockney’s incredible Polaroid composites

This TP-Link Deco X55 Wi-Fi 6 mesh system is a $150 dead-zone eliminator if you're upgrading your home office

'We operate fleets of smaller, lower-cost assets that are centrally controlled and highly scalable': How tiny uncrewed vessels are mapping the ocean and delivering instant marine data at scale

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Key Takeaways

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards