Beneath the fancy new lock screen with spatial image support and Liquid Glass, the code inside iOS 26 can reveal Apple’s product plans. After Macworld contributor Filipe Espósito discovered a reference to AirTags 2, another future product has been found in the iOS 26 code.
According to MacRumors, iOS 26 references “AirPods Pro 3,” meaning Apple plans to ship the device soon. iOS 26 officially releases in the fall, right around the time Apple will ship the iPhone 17, so its very possible the AirPods Pro 3 make an appearance at that time.
The new features that have been reported for the AirPod Pro 3 include improved active noise cancellation, crash detection, and heart rate and temperature monitors. Reports have also included live translation, though it’s possible this is a reference to iOS 26’s new live translation feature that was announced at WWDC.
The AirPods Pro 3 may also take some design cues from the AirPods 4 that were released last September. The case may become slimmer, and perhaps the earbud stems will get a little shorter. No word on whether Apple has any plans for the silicone eartips that we recommend replacing with foam-based ones.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.