Category: AirPods

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AirPods Max get lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio next month

Apple finally gave customers a good reason to buy the recently released AirPods Max with a USB-C port. According to the company, a software update will finally give these headphones the long-awaited lossless capabilities and ultra-low latency audio.

A press release shows AirPods Max with USB-C will unlock 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, which preserves the integrity of original recordings. In addition, it will be possible to listen to lossless while still enjoying Personalized Spatial Audio.

Apple says users will be required to use the included AirPods Max’s USB-C cable with their iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices to take advantage of lossless. More interesting than that, gamers and live streamers can also take advantage of ultra-low latency audio to experience no response delay while playing or live streaming, which, according to Apple, becomes “reliably smooth and even more immersive for users.”

That said, it’s important to note that lossless support for AirPods Max is only included with the USB-C version. The original model with a Lightning port technically can’t stream in this higher quality. With that, the USB-C AirPods Max are Apple’s second headphones to support this feature, as the Beats Studio Pro was the first one.

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When Apple announced the new AirPods Max last year, it was criticized for delivering virtually the same headphones but with new colors and fewer features, as wiring these headphones wouldn’t bring lossless support.

A few months later, the company revealed that this major feature will be part of the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 releases. The company will most likely also offer a firmware update for AirPods Max to unlock this experience.

While users might finally have a reason to upgrade to these headphones, it’s important to note that they still feature the same H1 chip and lack several functions available with AirPods Pro 2 because they don’t have the latest technologies.

It’s unclear if Apple will ever release a revamped version of its most expensive headphones.

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iOS 18.4 RC now available ahead of official launch next month

Apple is likely almost done with the beta testing of iOS 18.4, as it has just released its RC. The Release Candidate version comes after Apple announced that AirPods Max will finally feature lossless support. Still, it’s unlikely this new build will bring this function.

This is the third beta since Apple announced the personalized Siri experience will take longer to arrive on the iPhone. Still, the company is including at least three new improvements for Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.4 RC:

  • New languages: Apple adds Chinese, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and localized English for Singapore and India.
  • Image Playground: The long-awaited Sketch style is now available alongside the Animation and Illustration options.
  • Genmoji: Apple tweaked the Genmoji icon on the keyboard, as it now reads “Genmoji.”

With iOS 18.4 RC, Apple added the seven emojis teased by the Unicode Consortium last year. The company also includes the following features:

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  • Apple News+ Food: This update will bring a new Food section to Apple News. Subscribers can access recipes, tips for healthy eating, restaurants, and more.
  • Vision Pro app: With iOS 18.4, Apple Vision Pro will get its own iPhone app. It will help you download apps, visionOS content, tips, and information and even set up Guest Mode.
  • Apple Maps change: You can now set a Preferred Language to get directions instead of the one you use on your iPhone.
  • Ambient music: iOS 18.4 adds new Control Center toggles for Ambient Music, including Chill, Productivity, Sleep, and Wellbeing.
  • CarPlay update: Cars with bigger screens now get three rows of apps displayed.
  • Visual Intelligence: Apple added the Visual Intelligence feature to the Action Button while also adding support for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16e.
  • Control Center: The Control Center now displays an Apple Intelligence section with three options: Talk to Siri, Type to Siri, and Visual Intelligence.
  • Apple Vision Pro app: If you have an Apple Vision Pro, iOS 18.4 beta 2 added the already-announced Vision Pro app.

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macOS 15.4 RC now available with four major features

Apple nears the end of macOS 15.4 beta testing with its RC build for developers. This version brings Apple Intelligence improvements and is a bit more feature-packed than the previous macOS 15.3 update. Here’s everything we know so far about macOS Sequoia’s latest update.

There are two main Apple Intelligence features landing on macOS 15.4 that are currently in beta testing:

  • All-new Mail experience: Mail is introducing new ways for users to manage their inboxes. On-device categorization organizes and sorts incoming emails into Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons. Mail also features a new digest view that pulls together all of the relevant emails from a business, allowing users to quickly scan for what’s important at the moment.
  • New Apple Intelligence languages: Apple is adding Chinese, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and localized English for Singapore and India to Apple Intelligence.

In addition to these changes, Apple just added seven new emojis to the macOS 15.4 RC. The Unicode Consortium introduced these figures last May in beta. So far, the new emojis expected for iOS 18 include a face with bags under the eyes, a fingerprint, a leafless tree, a root vegetable, a harp, a shovel, and splatter.

Still, if you don’t care that much about emojis anymore, Apple now lets you create your own with Genmoji. With macOS 15.4 RC, Apple tweaked the Genmoji button on the keyboard so it’s more easily discoverable, even though they’re only considered emojis on Apple’s platforms.

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Finally, the company announced that lossless support is coming to AirPods Max with macOS 15.4. Still, it’s unclear if Mac users can try this feature today.

Alongside macOS 15.4 RC, Apple has also seeded the release candidate versions of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, tvOS 18.4, visionOS 2.4, and watchOS 11.4. BGR will let you know if we discover anything new on these upcoming software updates.

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AirPods Pro 3 may be the world’s best earbuds with these 8 rumored features

Apple is expected to release AirPods Pro 3 in late 2025. Three years after the first iteration of AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning port was released, Cupertino is expected to significantly improve its best earbuds. Despite the fact that last year’s AirPods Max update was so disappointing, we expect Apple’s next-gen AirPods Pro to be a much bigger update thanks to several new features and upgrades.

This article covers eight rumored features that should make AirPods Pro 3 an instant hit and potentially the best earbuds on the planet.

Much better ANC: Apple already offers incredible ANC. With its advanced algorithms, the company also offers best-in-class Transparency and Adaptive modes. For the third generation of AirPods Pro, Apple is expected to greatly improve the ANC, and it could build up on the technology available for AirPods 4, which offers ANC even without ear tips.

Improved hearing aid capabilities: AirPods Pro 2 are the first earbuds to offer hearing aid capabilities. It’s only natural to assume that Apple will continue to enhance this feature with upcoming versions of its pro earbuds. In addition, there’s another reason why hearing aid capabilities will be better with this next generation.

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H3 chip: Apple does a great job with its audio chips. All the way from the W1 chip and its magical features, the company has walked a long path to bring the H2 processor. To this day, Apple keeps adding more features to AirPods Pro 2. It’s only natural to assume that Cupertino will continue to improve the audio quality and the connectivity between AirPods and iPhone while delivering new features, such as better ANC, improved hearing aid capabilities, and so on.

Heart rate measurement: According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, one of AirPods Pro 3 top features could be heart rate measurement. At the time, the journalist said Apple Watch measurements were more accurate than the prototype AirPods, but not much. This could be perfect for those who don’t like wearing smartwatches all the time. With the Powerbeats Pro 2, we know this feature works without an Apple Watch on, and it’s only active while the user is exercising.

Body temperature: Finally, Apple has also been working on a body temperature sensor for future AirPods. The company may add a camera to help measure the body’s temperature, which could be more accurate than the sensor available with the Apple Watch.

Other tidbits for the upcoming AirPods Pro 3 might include improved battery life, a thinner case (if we consider AirPods 4), more robust water and dust resistance, and so on.

Wrap up

These are the features you should look forward to the most in the upcoming AirPods Pro 3. BGR will let you know once we learn more about this device.

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Samsung to launch Galaxy Buds with bone conduction this summer

Last summer, Samsung launched new Galaxy Buds models with a brand new design (above), which turned out to be the least controversial aspect. The new earphones look a lot like Apple’s AirPods, featuring a stem for the first time. Samsung stayed away from adopting AirPods-like designs for years before deciding this was going to be the new look of the earphones.

I didn’t think copying Apple was such a big deal. I was more worried about the quality issues the first batch of Galaxy Buds models displayed. 

According to a report from Korea, Samsung will release new earphones this summer. The company is about to launch open-ear buds in a form factor it has never made before, beaming sound through the bone. This is in addition to updating the regular Galaxy Buds line with a new Galaxy Buds FE 2 model.

I ran my third marathon recently, wearing second-gen AirPods, the same wireless earphones I wore before.

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But just before the race, I had a chance to test and buy the new Shokz OpenFit 2 open-ear earphones. The sound quality blew me away, but I didn’t buy them on the spot, thinking I’d find them later.

It turns out I can’t find them that easily. These are the latest earphones from Shokz launched at CES 2025. While they don’t rock the company’s bone-conduction tech, it’s still a new sound technology for this type of product. Essentially, your ears are open as sound is beamed through the air.

But I stopped at the Shokz booth before the race in the first place because I associate the company with bone-conduction earphones. I’ve considered buying a pair of Shokz more than once, but I kept finding excuses not to.

What I’m getting at is that I’m a runner who doesn’t want Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). I want to be aware of my surroundings, and bone-conduction earphones or open-ear models might be the way to go. Also, I’m looking forward to chatting to AI via voice more in the future, and I’ll need comfortable earphoens for that. Traditional AirPods might not cut it. 

All that is to say is that I’m not surprised to hear that Samsung is considering a new design for its Galaxy Buds line of earphones. Seoul Economic Daily says Samsung plans to unveil the product in July, likely during the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 launch event.

Codenamed “Able,” the product aims to cater to the needs of people who are into cycling or running, as bone-conduction sound tech allows them to hear their surroundings.

Also, this Galaxy Buds design might appeal to people who find regular AirPods-like earphone designs uncomfortable, and those who worry about hearing loss issues that might follow prolonged exposure to traditional earphones.

Samsung isn’t the only company exploring such designs; Sony and Huawei have also made similar devices. And, again, Shokz is well-known for its bone-conduction earphones.

It’s unclear how much the new Galaxy earbuds will cost or what they will look like. But Samsung reportedly plans to manufacture some 1.7 million units this year, which will account for 15% of the total number of Galaxy earphone shipments this year.

As for the actual design of the Able product, it hasn’t leaked. But since Galaxy products tend to leak before their official launch, expect to see this new Buds design in unofficial photos before the Unpacked event in July.

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iOS 19 will bring live translation to your AirPods

Apple will supposedly give iOS 19 a big design overhaul this year, making the iPhone operating system look more like the visionOS than previous iOS releases.

A major design makeover might just be what Apple needs in light of its recent Apple Intelligence fiasco. The smart Siri assistant Apple promised last summer isn’t coming for at least a year. The best way to make iOS exciting is to give it a new coat of paint. At least that’s something ost iPhone users will care more about than AI features.

But Apple is also readying new features to go along with the redesign, and one interesting AirPods functionality has leaked. Apple plans to bring live translation support to AirPods via the iOS 19 upgrade, and the good news about it is that the feature should work with your existing AirPods.

Also, since I mentioned Apple Intelligence before, live translation is easily something Apple could sell under the iPhone’s AI umbrella of features. It wouldn’t be the only one.

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Live Translate is one of the first Galaxy AI features that Samsung announced in late 2023. We learned that flagship phones would translate call conversations in real time, on-device, before we saw all the other tricks in the Galaxy AI suite of apps and features.

Samsung updated Live Translate before last summer’s Unpacked event to work on Galaxy phones with foldable displays. Regardless of phone form factor, you do not necessarily need earphones for Live Translate to work.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple included live translation in Apple Intelligence because translating live speech as it happens is actually a process that involves AI. Algorithms understand speech, convert it into text, and then translate and turn it back into voice.

We’ll have to wait for Apple to explain how live translation works in iOS 19, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has an example:

The capability will work like this: If an English speaker is hearing someone talk in Spanish, the iPhone will translate the speech and relay it to the user’s AirPods in English. The English speaker’s words, meanwhile, will be translated into Spanish and played back by the iPhone.

That’s a clever use of hardware for both parties in the conversation to be able to chat by voice in real time.

Given that the iPhone will do the actual translation, the feature should work with any existing AirPods model. It should also work with other wireless earphones, assuming Apple wants to expand support to AirPods rivals. But I think Apple would rather keep the feature as an AirPods-only functionality that helps the company further differentiate its earphones from competitors.

The report also notes that Apple is working on new AirPods hardware, including AirPods Pro 3 and a model with built-in cameras for Apple Intelligence.

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iPhone 16e reportedly has a Bluetooth audio problem that can’t be fixed

New iPhone hardware might launch with functionality issues that need to be ironed out via subsequent software updates, assuming software can provide fixes. The same goes for Android products. Hearing that the iPhone 16e has a Bluetooth issue where the audio cuts out briefly while music is playing should not be that surprising. However, the iPhone 16e isn’t exactly a new iPhone, is it? It has the same design as every other iPhone with a notch that has been released since the iPhone 12.

Apple also recycled many of the internal components to make this device. Even the iPhone 16’s A18 chip and the 8GB of RAM inside the iPhone 16e aren’t new-new. Therefore, other internal components, including the Bluetooth chip, shouldn’t be brand new.

The only completely new iPhone 16e components might be the new battery, which gives the handset the best battery life in 6.1-inch iPhones, and the C1 modem.

With all that in mind, one shouldn’t expect Bluetooth audio connectivity issues with the iPhone 16e. But it turns out that several iPhone 16e owners have encountered Bluetooth disconnects, and Apple doesn’t know how to fix them for the time being. It doesn’t seem like a hardware issue, so exchanging your iPhone 16e for a new one might not fix it.

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Some iPhone 16e owners suspect the device has issues handling multiple Bluetooth connections, like an Apple Watch and AirPods. That’s actually a nightmare scenario for this longtime iPhone user. I run a lot, and I wear the Apple Watch to track my workouts while AirPods handle the entertainment.

As is often the case with issues concerning new devices, affected users took to social media and forums to complain. A discussion on Apple forums is particularly interesting, as an iPhone 16e owner details their issues with the Bluetooth audio and their experience with Apple support.

After talking to UK/Europe support, the user was escalated to Apple’s US support, and they had him perform a diagnostic test on the iPhone 16e to figure out why the Bluetooth audio stops:

Then they had me install a profile on my iPhone which logged the Bluetooth and Wifi signals / exchanges in a diagnostic report, which ran for about 20 minutes, whilst I reproduced the issue and noted down the time (to the second) of whenever the audio stutters. This was done with data over Wifi, and data over 5G. Then they phoned me up again, the logs were packaged up, and sent through. All they could do was tell me the data and timestamps etc. were going to be looked at by engineering and they would contact me back if they wanted me to run more test…

The same person said the update to iOS 18.3.2, which dropped earlier this week, did not fix the problem.

A different person found that using an Oura ring might impact the Bluetooth audio on the iPhone 16e. Closing the app completely seems to fix the problem:

Yes, I have the same problem, too. I found a couple of reddit threads with people experiencing the same issue. In my case it appears that the stuttering is related to having another Bluetooth connection (an Oura smart ring). If I close the Oura app, so it’s not running in the background, the audio appears to work OK, but it’s early days and I’m still investigating. Do you have multiple Bluetooth connections other than the headphones? I hope it’s not a hardware issue with the phone.

Over on Reddit, a Fitbit user said that closing the Fitbit app didn’t work, but they removed the wearable from the iPhone 16e, and the Bluetooth audio was fixed.

Obviously, these aren’t acceptable fixes. Again, Apple is selling us devices that are connected via Bluetooth to the iPhone, whether it’s Apple Watch models, AirPods, or Beats earphones. Apple wants iPhone users to buy both the Apple Watch and AirPods, so both should stay connected to the iPhone at the same time.

Even if you use non-Apple wearables and wireless earphones, you should be able to mix and match products without experiencing Bluetooth audio issues.

It’s unclear how widespread the iPhone 16e Bluetooth audio problem is, but Apple is certainly aware of it. Hopefully, a permanent fix will be available soon.

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Apple’s leaked Face ID doorbell might use MagSafe and integrate with AirPods Pro 3

After teasing that AirTag 2 might be released soon, leaker Kosutami on X hints at a new smart home product: a MagSafe-compatible doorbell. In a few posts, the leaker wrote, “There’s something Apple ringing on your door,” followed by, “More hint: MagSafe on your door, it rings.”

They also say, “You can hear from next-generation AirPods Pro.” While all those hints lack more details, Bloomberg recently reported that a Face ID doorbell could be coming soon.

While it’s unclear when or even if Apple will launch the doorbell, a Face ID doorbell would change how home security works. It would be even cooler than smart locks that let you unlock the door with an iPhone or a wearable. The door would recognize your face and let you in as easily as unlocking your iPhone with Face ID.

A video doorbell with Face ID support seems like the kind of product that Apple would have to develop in this context. It would leverage some of Apple’s best features, including the secure 3D authentication algorithm and the strong privacy and security of Apple’s ecosystem. Gurman says the doorbell would protect consumer data using Apple’s upcoming Proxima chipset and its secure enclave feature.

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The work on the Face ID doorbell is said to be in the early stages. If Apple decides to proceed with it, it might launch the product before the end of 2025. Gurman also says Apple may decide against selling the product under its own brand and partner with Logitech or Belkin.

If that turns out to be accurate, Kosutami gives us another hint that it might support MagSafe. Interestingly enough is the fact that it could integrate with AirPods Pro 3. Rumors so far are still vague despite the imminent support of heart rate measuring. Still, with Apple focusing on the hearing aid market and greatly improving its H-series chips, it’s possible that the perfect smart home ecosystem would announce when someone knocked at your door if you’re wearing AirPods.

Despite Gurman’s report, we still have to wait and see if Kosutami or another leak will give us more details on Apple’s future smart home projects. That said, the company has been working on several new smart home devices.

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Hearing a mysterious beep from your AirPods Pro? Here’s what it is

If you chose the AirPods Pro over the regular AirPods, it means you want access to some of Apple’s best features for its wireless earphones. That might mean better sound quality, complete with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) support. Or it might mean taking advantage of the first hearing health features available on AirPods, the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid functionalities that can now be found in iOS 18.

If you own AirPods Pro, you might also have discovered they play chimes here and there that you can’t explain. Apparently, the random beeps are puzzling users, who discussed them online, including on the ATP podcast.

It seems that Apple has updated a support document to explain that the sounds are normal and they help ensure the AirPods work as intended.

It’s a feature related to the AirPods Pro microphones, speakers, and hearing test results. From Apple’s support document:

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To help ensure that your AirPods microphones and speakers are operating at their best (for example, to help provide high-quality hearing test results), your AirPods may periodically play a quiet chime when they’re in their charging case.

You can hear what the chime sounds like on Mastodon, where Ian Williamson explained the mysterious sound:

Your point about AirPod noises reminded me of a related noise I’ve been meaning to investigate on my AirPods Pro 2, recorded here when I put one AirPod back in the case with the other. You can hear the sad charging noise (overlaid with the case closing snap) but ~15 secs later you can also hear what appears to be a diagnostics sound coming from the AirPods inside the case. It was driving me mad for a while as I kept hearing this sound but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

Episode 621 of the ATP Podcast also discusses the AirPods noises right from the start, which prompted MacRumprs to investigate.

Even John Gruber joined in, making some light fun of Apple’s failure to actually address the matter in support documentation:

Years ago, Apple was a successful company and documented how their products work. These days, Apple is struggling financially, and alas can no longer afford to produce something even as simple as an interactive web page with examples of the sounds that AirPods make and explanations of what those sounds mean.

Meanwhile, Apple’s support document explains the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features, in addition to addressing the mysterious beeps right at the end. You’ll want to check it out in full if you have questions regarding the hearing health features.

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Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 features may have just leaked

Future iterations of Apple’s AirPods Pro may include impressive health monitoring features, according to a new report in Mark Gurman’s PowerOn newsletter. While specific details are scarce, reports indicate that Apple is exploring capabilities that include heart rate monitoring and other physiological metrics. 

The development of these features is still in its early stages, with initial tests indicating that the heart rate monitoring functionality has yielded encouraging and relatively accurate results. And while there’s no telling when such a feature will hit the market, Gurman writes that it might “be ready for the next-generation AirPods Pro.”

Potential AirPods Pro 3 release

Admittedly, there haven’t been any concrete rumors about when we might see Apple release AirPods Pro 3. If history is any indication, however, it might be coming up sooner than you think.

For context, recall that the first AirPods Pro hit stores in October of 2019. AirPods Pro 2 then came around about three years later, in September of 2022. If Apple sticks with a 3-year upgrade cycle, there’s a chance we’ll see new a AirPod Pro model in the fall of next year. And remember, Apple typically aims to keep its upgrade cycle on a consistent schedule.

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Rumored AirPods Pro 3 features

Notably, an AirPods Pro model with a heart rate monitor is reportedly the feature Apple is most focused on.

Gurman writes:

The main work right now is getting the AirPods to reliably measure a user’s heart rate. Though the Apple Watch already does this, the feature could be a selling point for people who don’t like wearing watches or just want a backup fitness tracker… 

In Apple’s testing, heart-rate data is more accurate on the watch than AirPods, but the earbuds aren’t terribly far off. 

Besides rumors of a heart rate monitor, some other AirPod Pro 3 rumors we’ve seen point to improved audio performance, a new H3 chip, more robust water and dust resistance, more seamless integration with the Vision Pro, and improved battery life. One feature we can likely look forward to is improved Active Noise Cancellation. One interesting but peculiar rumor claims that AirPods Pro 3 might include a feature that would allow users to measure their body temperature and perspiration level.

Apple’s commitment to health

Apple’s commitment to adding new health-oriented features to its AirPods Pro line shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, the current AirPods Pro 2 have a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature that was brilliantly showcased in the ad below:

Additionally, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been quite vocal about Apple’s commitment to leveraging its product line towards improving individual health. Notably, Cook during an interview a few years back said that Apple’s work in the health space may ultimately be what the company is most known and revered for.

If you zoom out into the future, and you look back, and you ask the question, ‘What was Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind?’ It will be about health.

We are taking what has been with the institution and empowering the individual to manage their health.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that Apple has also devoted a lot of resources to figuring out a way to get the Apple Watch to measure a user’s blood glucose levels. There’s no telling if Apple will ever be able to achieve this, but if it does, it will truly prove to be a godsend for millions of people across the globe.

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