Although Apple’s latest software releases have focused on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, they have also brought a variety of features for AirPods. Some of them were flashy enough to feature in Apple’s speech, but others were almost kept secret. Here’s one you’d love if you fall asleep with your AirPods.
AirPods can detect if you fall asleep and pause playback
One of the AirPods’ many new features can be activated with a toggle. iOS 26, which says “Pause media when you fall asleep.” Without giving too much information on this subject, Apple explain in a support page, the feature lets you choose “whether you want to automatically pause the sound when you fall asleep.” The feature is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices. On iPhone, iPad, and Mac, you can find the toggle in the AirPods menu in Settings. On Apple TV, the toggle is in the AirPods menu in the Control Center.
Does it work with all AirPods?
AirPods Pro 3 have a heart rate sensor. | Image credit – PhoneArena
The feature is supported by new Apple headphones and a Beats model:
Apple does not specify how this feature works. It can use earphone sensors to detect your movements, and on AirPods Pro 3it could even take into account information from the heart rate sensor. Older AirPods models and AirPods Max don’t support this feature, so it may be tied to more modern sensors. Other earbuds can detect when you’re all asleep, but these are mostly specialized models like the Ozlo Sleepbuds and QuietOn 3.1. Mainstream models like the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Pixel Buds 2a, and Galaxy Buds 3 don’t have similar features.
More than welcome
Only happy people don’t know how impactful such a feature could be. My way to fall asleep when I have insomnia is to listen to the Nothing Much Happens podcast. I add a few episodes to my queue and set a timer to stop playing once they’re done.
However, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and want to continue listening to the podcast from where I fell asleep. To do this, I have to use my phone to know when I’ve dozed off and set a new sleep timer. With the new feature, I won’t have to think about all of that, which will save me from nervously poking at my podcast player in the middle of the night.
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