Exclusive: macOS 26 Code Leak Exposes Camera AirPods Features

Recent reports and a demo video found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate have shed light on Apple’s work on camera-equipped AirPods. A user named mactracker has delved into new code and unearthed more details about the upcoming earbuds.

A user on the MacRumors forum, mactracker, has uncovered a hidden macOS framework called “AccessorySensorManager” designed to manage sensor data from the AirPods when connected via Bluetooth to a Mac.

The user has discovered the following information:

• The new AirPods will capture paired color images: Code suggests that the left and right earbuds will have individual camera sensors sending synchronized RGB still images of up to 1 megapixel with matching frame IDs. This feature aims to provide Visual Intelligence with the same scene from two different angles. While there have been rumors of other sensors like infrared cameras, they are not mentioned in the code.
• The new AirPods support periodic image capture but do not provide video support: The cameras will only take internal still frames for Visual Intelligence processing and will not capture photos or record videos automatically or upon user command. The framework can request a synced pair of images or receive pairs of stills sent continuously at a specified rate when the AirPods are in “active” mode.
• Active and passive capture modes use different image resolutions: In “active” mode, triggered likely by the user via Siri, the AirPods will capture a 640×640 image and return a 1024×1024 processed image. In “passive” mode, the AirPods will capture a 320×320 image that can offer a 320×320 or 512×512 output. These resolutions are specific to capture, and the sensor’s native resolution may be higher.
• Passive mode may be intended for background environmental awareness: The framework references contextual conditions such as changes in surrounding audio, nearby speech, head rotation, posture changes, and movement outside a defined area. It is unclear from the code whether each condition triggers a camera capture.
• AirPods account for continual head movement: The framework includes lens distortion correction, dual-camera calibration, and camera-to-motion sensor calibration. Images affected by excessive movement or an obstructed view will be rejected as they provide no utility.
• The new AirPods will handle some processing directly on the earbud: Mentions of “peripheral inference” in the code suggest on-device detection of a person in view.
• AirPods will likely include a capture indicator light on each earbud: The framework contains code to remotely activate a hardware indicator and control its brightness, indicating that each AirPod will have a light to signal when still images are being captured.

Earlier this week, a video was discovered in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate showing a demo of a man holding up a book for the AirPods camera to view the title. The video hints at Visual Intelligence processing data from the AirPods cameras on the user’s iPhone, enabling Siri to provide information about the wearer’s surroundings and collect data.

If the user’s hair obstructs the AirPods, an alert will be issued. The video suggests ensuring the AirPods are not covered for accurate environmental information.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the AirPods in the video are purportedly AirPods Pro 3 with cameras, codenamed B790. However, Apple has allegedly scrapped this model and is working on a new generation of camera-equipped AirPods, codenamed B798. This indicates that the discovered framework was meant for the canceled model.

As with any rumors, the functionality described for the camera-equipped AirPods is speculative. The actual features may differ, and there is no guarantee of their presence in the final version.

Gurman suggests Apple is aiming for a 2027 release of the AirPods, potentially coinciding with the 20th-anniversary iPhone launch.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]