'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 | Tech Radar

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'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

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We've heard countless rumors about camera-toting Air Pods

Now, a leaked video reportedly from Mac OS build shows how they'd work

Public opinion on this kind of tech is poor, and getting worse

We've been hearing countless rumors that Apple is working on Air Pods with cameras — last news was that they could come in 2027 — and now we have an idea as to how they could work.

Website Mac Rumors has uncovered a video found in pre-release code for Mac OS Tahoe 26.7, an upcoming update to Macs' operating system.

The video shows an Air Pods-wearing man pick up a book and look at it, while a female voice says: "With visual intelligence, your world becomes saveable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for 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

Finally, we have a way to remember things! How has humanity got to this point without that...

Visual Intelligence is an Apple feature, which uses an i Phone camera to see what's going on around you. And apparently, it's coming to Air Pods, when they get cameras.

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This video doesn't look like leaked marketing material for the new Air Pods; the production value doesn't match other Apple material. It looks like it was shot on an i Phone, with exposure that's all over the place. But it could be a placeholder, or perhaps an internal video.

It's also unlikely that the Air Pods used in the video are the new camera-toting ones; again, these are probably just placeholder buds. Instead, this news shows us what Apple thinks these new buds will do: act as extensions of AI tools like Visual Intelligence. And that might be their downfall.

Some journalists have written that always-watching smart tech, especially smart glasses, are facing a reckoning. That's no longer quite true: they've faced said reckoning, the great privacy revolt has reached its conclusion, and opinion now couldn't be sourer on this kind of surveillance gadget.

In the UK, smart glasses have been banned from courts, restaurants, theaters, and even the pub chain Wetherspoons (there's nowhere lower to go than being kicked out of a 'Spoons'). Their disparaging moniker, "pervert glasses", is now used more commonly than their actual name, and they're frowned upon even more in the court of social opinion than in actual courts.

Okay I hate to be that guy but… who’s asking for this August 18, 2026

The reason for this low public opinion — well, one of many — is smart glasses' use of cameras. Since the user could be recording video or taking pictures, without anyone else knowing, they're a privacy nightmare. And since legislation can take an age to come into effect, it's easier just to socially ostracise people who might be recording you without your knowledge.

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And so, Air Pods coming with cameras would be a truly awful look, as it'd get them lumped in with smart glasses. Even if the buds don't actually let you capture footage, and only use their cameras for object recognition, the very presence of visible cameras will get them lumped in with smart glasses: "pervert earbuds".

And that's notwithstanding the real chance — as has been demonstrated with those glasses — of Apple's earbuds being appropriated by tech-savvy individuals, to somehow get the cameras working (despite the buds' presumed low-res quality that Apple doesn't mean for video capture).

As I've written in the past, these things aren't designed to take pictures. They are for analyzing your surroundings. https://t.co/r 7IFNmso E4 https://t.co/tjm S7w 8tl JAugust 18, 2026

Disregarding the scant use cases of camera-toting smart glasses, camera-toting Air Pods would launch amid a storm of negative attitudes to this kind of tech. It's a risk and could even be seen as a potential lose-lose situation for Apple: either release a product that's dead on arrival, or one that is popular but helps to distribute and normalize "pervert" tech.

Maybe the sentiment one X user posted, "I hate to be that guy but… who's asking for this?" sums it up nicely. It could be that at this point, we don't need these Air Pods, guys. And perhaps Apple could instead put its R&D efforts towards earbuds with a competitive battery life…

➡️ Read our full guide to the best earbuds

Best overall: Technics EAH-AZ100
Best mid-range: Cambridge Audio A100
Best budget: Nothing Ear (a)
Best for noise-cancelling: Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen

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Tom Bedford is a freelance contributor covering tech, entertainment and gaming. Beyond Tech Radar, he has bylines on sites including Games Radar, Digital Trends, Android Police, Tech Advisor, Whatto Watch and BGR. From 2019 to 2022 he was on the Tech Radar team as the staff writer and then deputy editor for the mobile team.

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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