Apple’s AirPods are currently the world’s best selling wireless earbuds and soon it might do more than just audio.
Recently, it was speculated that Apple will be fitting cameras into their upcoming AirPods and it will leverage on Visual Intelligence to help detect and identify objects around you.
Now we have the clearest confirmation yet of the camera-equipped AirPods from a video found in macOS Tahoe 26.7 RC.
As shown by Aaron of MacRumors, the video demonstrates Visual Intelligence using the AirPods. It shows a man wearing AirPods, picking up a book and telling Siri to remember the title.
Here is your first look at AirPods with Cameras in action using Visual Intelligence.
— Aaron (@aaronp613) August 18, 2026
This video file came from macOS 26.7 RC pic.twitter.com/yo7RI4MCeu
The demo video narrates, “With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes saveable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later.”
While we don’t get to see the actual hardware, the video confirms the existence of the device and it is very likely to be released very soon. Looking at the timeline, the purported AirPods Pro 4 are likely to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup.
Some additional info about AirPods Pro 4 with cameras, found in macOS 26.7 RC:
— Aaron (@aaronp613) August 18, 2026
If you have long hair that blocks the camera, there will be an error that is titled "Hair Detected" that says "to get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods… https://t.co/hUbWovpsyc
Aaron has also shared further details obtained from macOS Tahoe 26.7 RC which included an error message saying “Hair Detected” if the camera is blocked by your hair. The message also said “to get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods are not covered”.
He added that there’s a new option called Secure Pairing, which could be an enhanced security mode.
The most recent AirPods update was back in 2025 when it released the AirPods Pro 3. Besides improved audio, noise cancellation and battery life, the current Apple flagship earbuds supports heart rate tracking with built-in PPG sensor.
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