While Apple’s latest software releases are focused on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, they have also brought a variety of features for the AirPods. Some of those were flashy enough to make it to Apple’s keynote, but others were almost kept secret. Here’s one you’d love if you fall asleep with your AirPods on.
AirPods can detect if you’re falling asleep and pause playback
One of the many new features for the AirPods can be activated with a toggle on iOS 26, which says, “Pause Media When Falling Asleep.” Without giving too much information about it, Apple explains in a support page that the feature allows you to choose “whether to automatically pause audio 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 inside the Control Center.
Does it work with all AirPods?
The AirPods Pro 3 have a heart rate sensor. | Image credit – PhoneArena
The feature is supported by Apple’s newer earbuds and one Beats model:
Apple doesn’t specify how the feature works. It may use the earbuds’ sensors to detect your movements, and on AirPods Pro 3, it could even consider the information from the heart rate sensor. Older AirPods models and the AirPods Max don’t support the feature, so it might be related to more modern sensors.
Other earbuds can detect when you are all asleep, but those are mostly specialized models such as the Ozlo Sleepbuds and QuietOn 3.1. Mainstream models like the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Pixel Buds 2a, and the 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 suffer from insomnia is to listen to the Nothing Much Happens podcast. I add a couple of episodes to my queue and set a timer to stop the playback after they’re done.
However, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and I want to continue listening to the podcast from where I fell asleep. To do that, I need to use my phone to find when I dozed off and set a new stop timer. With the new feature, I won’t need to think about all that, which will save me some nervous poking at my podcast player in the middle of the night.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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