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Maybe AirPods Pro 3 really are coming this year, based on a hint in iOS 26

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There's plenty of smoke, so maybe there's fire

The AirPods Pro 2 on top of ice
(Image credit: Future)

The world of Apple analysts and leakers is torn on whether we should expect AirPods Pro 3 to arrive this year or not. Some say they will appear, and some say they're coming next year with AI-assisting cameras on them.

Well, there's more smoke coming from the "launching in 2025" fire, because there's a reference to "AirPods Pro 3" by name hidden in some audio interface elements of iOS 26's code.

This was spotted by a contributor from MacRumors, and comes hot on the heels of a reference in iOS 18 to a feature supporting "AirPods Pro 2 or later", even though there is nothing later than AirPods Pro 2… so far.

(If the iOS naming above seems confusing, it's because Apple is switching from naming its operating systems based on the version number to based on the year, except they're named for the year after the software will actually be released in. Come on, keep up, it's all super-clear!)

The strong hint for a 2025 launch yet

Apple tends to launch new AirPods at the end of the year, most likely during a September event, at which it'll also launch the iPhone 17. Or maybe that'll be become the iPhone 26 too, who knows.

In any case, if there are references in iOS 26's code, that's a strong indicator that AirPods Pro 3 are coming this year, because if they were coming next year, we might be more likely to first see references in next year's code.

None of this is guaranteed, of course – Apple could be working over a year ahead with these code references… but I suspect not.

I think there's a good chance that more references in the code will be spotted as developers dig into it, and that we'll probably see AirPods Pro 3 later this year.

Don't worry if you recently bought AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 or AirPods 4 with ANC – you're not being left behind. Apple unveiled two useful new features coming to those models in iOS 26 during its WWDC 2025 keynote.

If you want to read more about Apple's development processes, check out our interview with Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi and Apple Global VP of Marketing Greg Joswiak – including what really happened with the stumbled Apple Intelligence and AI Siri launch.

WWDC INTERVIEW: Craig & Joz on Why Siri's Not Ready, AI Vision and iPadOS Shocker! - YouTube WWDC INTERVIEW: Craig & Joz on Why Siri's Not Ready, AI Vision and iPadOS Shocker! - YouTube
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Matt Bolton
Matt Bolton
Managing Editor, Entertainment

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.

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