MacRumors

Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system.

Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event.

New Colors

Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options available for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Fittingly, the event's logo contains orange and dark blue hues, which could be a hint.

Here are all five color options rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:

• Black
• White
• Gray
• Dark Blue
• Orange

Vapor Chamber Cooling System

Second, it is rumored that all of the iPhone 17 models will feature internal design changes for improved heat dissipation, with the iPhone 17 Pro models in particular rumored to feature a vapor chamber cooling system. The event logo looks like an infrared heat map outputted by a thermal camera, which could be a hint.

A vapor chamber would help to prevent the iPhone 17 Pro models from overheating during intensive, sustained tasks like gaming. It would consist of a thin, sealed metal chamber containing a small amount of liquid. When the iPhone heats up, the liquid would turn to vapor and dissipate across the chamber's surface area. Eventually, the vapor would cool down and condense, allowing for the process to repeat. This system would help to move heat away from the A19 Pro chip that is expected to power the iPhone 17 Pro models.

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra and select other Android smartphones have a vapor chamber cooling system, but the iPhone has yet to offer such a feature.

Apple Music's six radio stations will be available outside the ‌Apple Music‌ app for the first time via TuneIn, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Starting today, ‌Apple Music‌ 1, ‌Apple Music‌ Hits, ‌Apple Music‌ Country, Apple Música Uno, ‌Apple Music‌ Club, and ‌Apple Music‌ Chill will be available to TuneIn's 75 million monthly active users. The stations continue to feature no commercials. A link inside the TuneIn app and on its website directs users to ‌Apple Music‌.

TuneIn is a cross-platform internet-based radio service that lets users stream live radio stations, music channels, news, sports, and podcasts from around the world through a single app or its website. Apple reportedly approached TuneIn about the partnership toward the end of last year.

In an effort to combat Spotify, Apple apparently aims to convert ‌Apple Music‌ radio listeners into paying subscribers. Unlike Spotify, ‌Apple Music‌ has no ad-supported function, leaving it with few methods to entice users beyond free trials.

‌Apple Music‌'s share of digital music subscribers in the United States reportedly fell from 30% in 2020 to 25% at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, Spotify's share increased from 31% to 37% over the same period. ‌Apple Music‌'s global marketshare has fallen from 16% to 12%.

Back in 2019, TuneIn announced a collaboration with Apple to bring TuneIn's more than 100,000 global radio stations to ‌Apple Music‌.

If you've been interrupted by your iPhone's Wallet app with unwanted promotional alerts, here's some good news: In iOS 26, currently in beta, Apple has listened to complaints and added a simple toggle to silence these marketing messages for good.

The new toggle comes after widespread complaints this summer when Apple pushed unwanted notifications about F1 movie ticket offers through the Wallet app. Many iPhone owners felt blindsided by the advertising, especially since Wallet handles important financial information which makes disabling all notifications impractical.

The backlash was swift across social media, with many pointing out that Apple's own App Store guidelines prohibit push notifications for promotional purposes unless users explicitly opt in. The irony wasn't lost on critics that Apple appeared to violate its own rules while promoting its F1 movie through partner Fandango.

How to Turn Off Wallet Offers and Promotions

Fortunately, Apple has now added a dedicated Wallet setting that lets you control promotional content from the company and its partners. Here's how to disable these notifications in iOS 26:

1. Open the Wallet app.
2. Tap the More (three dots) button, top-right of the screen.
3. Tap Notifications in the popover menu.
4. Toggle off Offers & Promotions.

Once disabled, you'll stop receiving special offers and discount notifications through the Wallet app while keeping important transaction and payment alerts active.

It's also worth taking a moment to review the other new Wallet notification controls in this same menu. You can manage order notifications that track your shipping and delivery updates, control alerts for pre-authorized payments like subscriptions and recurring charges, and decide whether you want to hear about new Wallet features and app improvements as Apple releases them.

Apple may adopt tandem OLED display technology for its iPhone lineup as early as 2028 if panel supplier LG Display has its way, according to a new report from DealSite.co.kr.

LG Display is currently a leader in tandem OLED technology, ranking first in the number of published U.S. patent applications in the tandem OLED field with 348 patents.

The company is said to have been actively promoting the adoption of tandem OLED structures for future iPhones, and is specifically targeting iPhone models planned for release in 2028. However, the final decision remains with Apple.

Tandem OLED technology stacks two organic light-emitting layers, delivering improved brightness, extended lifespan, and better power efficiency compared to single-layer displays currently used in iPhones. Apple already uses this technology in its M4 iPad Pro models, where LG Display captured a 65% share of panel shipments, with Samsung picking up the rest of the orders.

The technology has already proven to be viable in mobile devices, with Chinese smartphone maker Honor equipping its Magic6 PSR Porsche with tandem OLED panels from BOE last year.

Assuming its efforts to sway Apple pay off, LG Display is preparing for potential capacity challenges, as tandem structures require stacking two emission layers which could reduce manufacturing throughput. The company is reportedly planning investments to address these production constraints.

A report earlier this month claimed that the tandem OLED Apple has been reviewing for iPhones involves stacking two layers for the blue sub-pixel only, while keeping red and green on a single layer. This method is apparently known in the industry as "simplified tandem."

LG Display was said to have proposed simplified tandem OLED to Apple based on confidence in its technology, and actually suggested tandem OLED for iPhones several years ago.

If Apple ultimately chooses to use tandem OLED panels for iPhones, it is likely to rely on multiple suppliers for the technology to ensure production capacity and maintain price competitiveness. That suggests Samsung and BOE may also be called upon. As with all rumors running this far into the future, Apple's plans could of course change.

With iOS 26 (currently in beta), Apple has finally caught up with rival podcast apps like Overcast by adding more fine-grained playback speed controls to the Podcasts app.

While competitors have long offered precise speed adjustments, Apple's rigid presets often left you caught between speeds that felt either too slow or uncomfortably fast.

In previous versions of iOS, Apple's stock Podcasts app provided only four fixed playback speed options: 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75, and 2x. That's changed in iOS 26, and users now have a lot more flexibility.

Not only has Apple increased the range of playback speeds from 0.5x to 3x, the updated setting also allows you to adjust the speed in 0.1x increments, thanks to a new, more granular adjustment interface.

How to Adjust Podcast Playback Speed

Here's how to find your perfect playback speed.

1. Open the Podcasts app and start playing any show.
2. Open the fullscreen playback controls.
3. Tap the playback speed button (1x) in the bottom left.
4. Tap one of the preset playback speed options. Alternatively, drag your finger over the preset options to invoke a dial allowing for 0.1x incremental adjustments.

The expanded range opens up new possibilities: Super slow speeds may be useful for listening to podcasts where the host speaks too fast, as well as language learning or transcription work, whereas the upper speeds can be used to boost the pace of plodding narrators, or help you when you just want to skim-listen to a show.

Best of all, the new playback speed setting remembers your preference for each individual podcast, so you shouldn't need to adjust it every time you return to the same show.

Apple will roll out iOS 26 to compatible iPhones in September 2025.

Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to.

• That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, with Apple set to introduce an ultra thin iPhone 17. We don't know the name of the device just yet, but "iPhone 17 Air" makes sense given Apple's other product names. It should be around 5.5mm thick, which will make it the thinnest ‌iPhone‌ to date. It's not without compromises, though, so it'll only have a single-lens camera and battery life could be shorter than expected.
• Satellite for the Wrist - The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is rumored to include satellite connectivity, allowing wearers to get help in an emergency using a satellite connection in remote areas where Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity are unavailable. Unfortunately, it sounds like it's going to be an Ultra only feature, so don't expect it for the Apple Watch Series 11.
• AirPods Heart Rate - Apple is finally refreshing the AirPods Pro, and along with improved Active Noise Cancellation, better sound, and a refined design, rumors suggest that the AirPods will get in-ear heart rate tracking, much like the Powerbeats Pro 2.
• New "Pro" Camera Design - The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ is going to be the star of the event, but Apple is redesigning the iPhone 17 Pro models too. There's a new pill-shaped camera bump that's much bigger than before, plus we're expecting a more durable build for the back that primarily uses aluminum instead of glass. It's not quite clear why the cameras are changing, but there are rumors of a 48-megapixel Telephoto lens with up to 8x optical zoom.
• Colors, Cases, Lanyards and More - Apple usually chooses muted colors for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models, but this year we're getting some shade of orange. It might be more copper than orange, but still, it's sounding like it might be a little brighter than Apple's typical safe color choices. The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ will come in a light blue, and there are some interesting case rumors too. Apple is supposedly introducing new "TechWoven" fabric cases to replace the ill-fated FineWoven cases everyone hated, and it looks like Apple's case lineup is going to get little cutouts to support straps and lanyards.

Read More

If you want more information on all of the features expected for the ‌iPhone 17‌ series, the new Apple Watch models, and the AirPods Pro 3, make sure to check out our roundups and guides. Warning: there are definitely spoilers.

• iPhone 17
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Air
• Apple Watch Ultra 3
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch SE
• AirPods Pro 3

How to Watch

Apple's "Awe Dropping" event will start at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, September 9. Apple will livestream the event on its website on YouTube, and through the Apple TV app on supported devices.

For those unable to watch the livestream, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, plus we'll do a much deeper dive into all the announcements post event.

Apple today updated the Apple Invites app, introducing a new widget that can be added to the Home Screen. Apple says that the widget can be used to count down to your next event.

After updating to the latest version of the Apple Invites app, you can add the new widget to your ‌Home Screen‌ by long pressing, tapping on Edit, and then choosing the "Add Widget" option.

There are three widget sizes, including small, medium, and large. The widgets are all the same, and are designed to tell you how many days there are remaining until an upcoming event.

Tapping on a created event opens up the Invites app where you can see more information about it.

Apple introduced the Invites app back in February, and it has received a few updates since then. Invites is an event planning app that supports creating custom invitations with unique background images, fonts, and relevant information like directions and weather.

Invites is free to download, but it is an iCloud+ service, which means an ‌iCloud‌+ subscription is needed to create an event. ‌iCloud‌+ is Apple's paid ‌iCloud‌ storage upgrade option, with plans starting at $0.99 per month.

The Invites app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple is no longer allowed to advertise the Apple Watch as a carbon neutral product in Germany, reports Reuters. A regional court in Frankfurt, Germany decided that Apple is violating competition law with the claim.

Environmentalists with Deutsche Umwelthilfe complained that Apple was misleading consumers by stating that the Apple Watch was a carbon neutral product, and the court ultimately agreed. The environmental group hailed the ruling as a win against "greenwashing."

Back in 2023, Apple said that the Apple Watch was one of its first carbon neutral devices, furthering its goal to make every product carbon neutral by the end of 2030.

Apple uses clean energy to manufacture the Apple Watch, and to reduce carbon emissions for Apple Watch manufacturing, it also uses 30 percent renewable material by weight and ships 50 percent of the devices without air transportation. Apple claims that this results in a 75 percent reduction in product emissions, with the company using "high-quality carbon credits" to address the remaining emissions.

Germany takes issue with the carbon credits that Apple is claiming are valid for neutralizing Apple Watch carbon emissions. Apple has established environmental projects under its Restore Fund, supporting forest restoration projects in Paraguay and Brazil.

Apple outlined the project back in 2024. It is working with Forestal Apepu to develop fast-growing eucalyptus forests for timber production on deforested lands, while also protecting remaining natural forest areas. Ecologists believe that monocultures like the one Apple is supporting harm biodiversity and require too much water.

Apple leases the land for its forest projects, and because many of the leases expire in 2029, the German court said that the future of the forest project was not secure.

An Apple spokesperson told Reuters that it plans to stop using the carbon neutral labeling for Apple Watches to comply with upcoming EU legislation.

Apple is launching a new retail store location in India, with Apple Koregaon Park set to open on Thursday, September 4 at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Apple Koregaon Park is located in Pune, in the state of Maharashtra. Apple already has two retail store locations that are operational in India, including one in Mumbai and one in New Delhi.

Earlier this week, Apple announced a third store located in Bengaluru, which will open two days before Apple Koregaon Park. Apple Koregaon Park will be Apple's fourth retail store in India when it opens.

"Namaskar, Pune," reads Apple's store announcement for the location. "The first Apple Store in the city opens its doors soon. We can't wait to see your vibrant ideas come to life at Apple Koregaon Park."

Apple is using the same peacock-feathered Apple logo for Apple Koregaon Park that it is using for the Hebbal store in Bengaluru, with a wallpaper available from Apple's website.

Apple launched its first two stores in India back in 2023, after launching the online store in the country in 2020.

Apple created a unique interactive Apple logo for its September 9 event, which can be interacted with on the main Apple.com website. The website currently features an animated Apple logo front and center, which changes when touched.

On an iPhone or an iPad, holding a finger over the Apple logo shifts it to a darker orange the longer you hold, and when swiping, the colors will change and follow your finger. On the Mac, you can use a mouse or a trackpad for the same effect.

The Apple logo for the "Awe Dropping" event is designed to look like a thermal map or the output that you might see on a thermal camera. The colors change from shades of blue to shades of orange, perhaps a nod to the new ‌iPhone‌ colors that are expected.

Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Pro models could be available in orange and dark blue, while the iPhone 17 Air is expected to come in a light blue shade.

Apple used to do interactive augmented reality Apple logo designs that could be projected into the room with you, but the company stopped doing that in 2023. Since then, Apple has created animated Apple logos, some of which can be interacted with on the Apple.com website.

The upcoming September 9 event will see Apple unveiling new iPhones and Apple Watch models, and perhaps a new version of the AirPods Pro. It's set to take place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

After this morning's announcement of Apple's upcoming iPhone-centric event on September 9, Apple has added an event placeholder to its YouTube channel.

Apple will stream the "Awe Dropping" event on YouTube, on its Apple Events website, and in the Apple TV app, so there are multiple ways to watch it.

YouTube users can click on the video placeholder and select the "Notify me" option to get a notification when the livestream is up. There's also an included countdown.

If YouTube has your location information, the notification and countdown will be displayed in local time, which makes it a good way to double check when you will need to tune in to watch the event. Apple's events are almost always at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, evening in Europe, and early morning in countries in Asia and Australia.

The dedicated Apple Events website also has an option to add the event to your calendar for a cross-platform reminder.

For those who are unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account so you can follow along with the announcements.

Apple will hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, according to an announcement that went out today. The event will start at 10:00 a.m., with select members of the media invited to attend.

At the September 2025 iPhone event, Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 lineup, which includes an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. It will come alongside the standard ‌iPhone 17‌, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max.

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models are expected to feature a new, more durable build with an aluminum frame, along with a redesigned bar-shaped rear camera module. All the ‌iPhone 17‌ models will get updated A19 or A19 Pro chips, and ProMotion could be standard across the line.

The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ will be Apple's thinnest and lightest ‌iPhone‌ to date, and it will replace the "Plus" ‌iPhone‌. It's expected to feature a 6.6-inch display, Apple's C1 modem, and a single-lens rear camera.

Apple will also unveil the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3, marking the first time in three years that all Apple Watch models have been updated at the same time. Other possibilities include AirPods Pro 3 with an updated design, a new HomePod mini, and a refreshed Apple TV 4K.

In addition to new hardware, Apple will provide launch dates for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and the rest of its upcoming software.

Apple plans to stream the fall event live on its website, on YouTube, and through the ‌Apple TV‌ app. For those unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Apple's iOS 26 update, currently in beta, brings a nice optional upgrade to screen capture quality with HDR (High Dynamic Range) capture support. The new feature captures or video-records what's on your iPhone's screen while preserving rich colors and detail.

HDR screenshots are particularly valuable when capturing content with high contrast – like bright app interfaces against dark backgrounds, HDR videos, or detailed photos. The enhanced dynamic range preserves details that would typically be lost in standard screenshots, making them ideal for sharing visual content or documenting app interfaces with greater fidelity.

How to Enable HDR Screenshots

The following steps show you how to switch from standard to HDR screenshot capture:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap General.
3. Tap Screen Capture.
4. Under "Format," tap HDR.

That's all there is to it. Your iPhone will now capture all screenshots in HDR format, and video record in HEVC HDR10 format, providing superior image quality with enhanced dynamic range. Just be mindful that the trade-off is larger file sizes, as HDR captures store more image data than standard PNG screenshots and HEVC screen recording.

To return to standard screenshot capture, simply select SDR (Most Compatible) under the same "Format" section in the settings menu.

Additional Screen Capture Features

iOS 26 also includes other useful screen capture options in the same Settings menu. You can enable Full-Screen Previews to display screenshots in a larger view instead of showing a thumbnail, turn on Automatic Visual Look Up to identify objects in your screenshots, and enable or disable CarPlay Screenshots for capturing car display screens.

Apple executives have reportedly discussed acquiring Mistral AI and Perplexity, The Information reports.

Services chief Eddy Cue is apparently the most vocal advocate of a deal to buy AI firms to bolster the company's offerings. Cue previously supported propositions of Apple acquiring Netflix and Tesla, both of which Apple CEO Tim Cook turned down. Other executives such as software chief Craig Federighi have reportedly been reluctant to acquire AI startups, believing that Apple can build its own AI technology in-house.

Mistral AI is a Paris-based artificial intelligence company founded in 2023 that develops open-weight large language models designed to be smaller, faster, and easier to deploy than many competitors, while still delivering strong performance across reasoning and coding tasks. The company positions itself as a European alternative to American players like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Perplexity is a U.S.-based artificial intelligence company that builds an AI-powered search and answer engine combining large language models with real-time web indexing to provide cited, conversational responses. Unlike traditional search engines, it prioritizes transparency by showing sources alongside answers, positioning itself as an alternative to Google for information retrieval.

Apple is said to be hesitant to do a deal, which would likely cost billions of dollars. Apple has rarely spent more than a hundred million dollars on an acquision, with Beats at $3 billion and Intel's wireless modem business at $1 billion.

If a federal ruling ends the $20 billion deal between Apple and Alphabet that makes Google the default search engine on its devices, the company could be compelled to acquire an AI-powered search startup to fill that gap. For now, Apple apparently told bankers that it plans to continue with its strategy of focusing on smaller deals in AI.

Amazon this week is providing low prices on multiple models of the iPad mini 7, starting at $399.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi tablet, down from $499.00. Colors on sale at this price include Purple, Space Gray, and Blue.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Compared to past sales, this is about $20 higher than the all-time low price and a solid second-best option, considering we haven't seen that record low price return since Prime Day. You can also get the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 7 for $499.00, which is another $100 discount and available in multiple colors.

Deals on the cellular models are a bit more sparse, but you can get the 128GB cellular iPad mini 7 for $549.00, down from $649.00, which is another second-best price on this tablet. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

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Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac has just been released, bringing new features and performance enhancements to the virtualization software, including full support for Apple's forthcoming macOS Tahoe operating system.

In an effort to reduce user confusion, Parallels Desktop 26 now follows the same new versioning practice that Apple's operating systems have adopted this year. This release also provides full support for background process changes Apple has made in macOS 26 Tahoe, ensuring setup routines and Coherence mode run smoothly.

As well as full macOS Tahoe support, this version provides full compatibility with Windows 11 25H2. Windows VMs can now also view the actual available disk space on the Mac host, giving users better control over storage and helping to prevent freezes, slowdowns, and crashes during large installations or disk-heavy operations.

For businesses and IT teams, there are new centralized controls via the Parallels Desktop Enterprise Management Portal that allow IT admins to enforce settings like shared folders, USB access, clipboard sharing, and network modes across all users, ensuring virtual machines comply with organization security requirements.

Meanwhile, IT admins can now monitor and manage Windows OS updates inside VMs using Jamf Pro or other mobile device management (MDM) platforms. Scripts available from Parallels' GitHub also enable IT admins to check update status and initiate scans or installations directly from the management console.

This latest update builds on new features steadily introduced over the past year, including support for Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools, x86 emulation preview to support legacy apps, OBS Camera integration for enhanced video workflows, and support for applications like Dragon Medical One to meet specialized industry needs.

Parallels Desktop 26 for Mac is available in Standard, Pro, Business, and Enterprise editions, and can be purchased or upgraded to at parallels.com/desktop or from authorized resellers. For more information, including the option to download a free trial, see the Parallels website.

Spotify is rolling out a new direct messaging feature that allows users to share music, podcast, and audiobook recommendations directly within the app. Messages is launching this week in select markets for Free and Premium users aged 16 and older.

The feature integrates into Spotify's existing sharing functionality - tap the share icon while listening to content in the Now Playing view and select a friend to message. Recipients can accept or reject message requests, and they can respond in kind with text and emoji reactions.

Messages are limited to one-on-one conversations between users who have previously interacted through Spotify features like Jams, Blends, or Collaborative Playlists, or those who share a Family or Duo plan. All shared content is stored in a Messages inbox accessible through your profile picture.

Spotify says conversations that take place over Messages are protected with industry-standard encryption and subject to the platform's existing content moderation policies.

The feature isn't meant as a replacement for sharing Spotify content over Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and the like – the company wants users to continue using these social media integrations, with Messages on Spotify designed to complement them.

It's the second new Spotify feature to launch in as many weeks, following the introduction of a mixing feature that allows Premium subscribers to create seamless transitions between playlist tracks.

Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes.

The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ‌AirPods Pro 3‌. Here are four key changes we're anticipating for the next-generation earbuds when Apple releases them in the coming fall.

1. Smaller Case – Apple slimmed down the AirPods 4 case, making it the smallest yet. Cutting the case size sacrificed MagSafe charging though, so while the $179 model supports Qi-based wireless charging, it does not have a magnet inside. The more affordable model doesn't have wireless charging at all. We don't expect Apple to cut MagSafe charging from the AirPods Pro 3, and it needs to fit speakers for Find My alerts, similar to the current ‌AirPods Pro. That said, it's still expected to have a smaller case.
2. No Pairing Button – The fourth-generation AirPods eliminated the setup button found on the back of earlier models' charging cases, including the AirPods Pro 2. Instead, Apple integrated a concealed capacitive button on the front of the case, just below the status light. To initiate manual pairing, users simply open the case and double-tap the front-center area. This same hidden control is also used for factory resets, initiated by double-tapping the case three times in quick succession while the status light is on. Expect the same on AirPods Pro 3.
3. Disappearing Status Light – The status light on the ‌AirPods 4‌ charging case is more discreet than the one found on AirPods Pro 2. There is no obvious LED dot when the case is not charging or closed, and the light simply appears under the white plastic when the case is opened up or placed on a charger. The AirPods Pro 3 case is likely to have a similar discreet status light.
4. Redesigned Earpiece – For the AirPods 4, Apple introduced a new earbud design that's more like the AirPods Pro, with a shorter stem and a more contoured earpiece for an improved fit. However, they don't use silicone ear tips like AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro 3 could always get a refreshed earbuds design as well, but what they will look like remains a mystery. Upgrade possibilities include a smaller in-ear piece and an even shorter stem.

New AirPods Pro Features With iOS 26

Apple's upcoming iOS 26 update will support several new features coming to all AirPods Pro models via a firmware update, including auto-pausing audio when you fall asleep, the ability to use AirPods as a camera remote, an option to keep audio in your AirPods when your ‌iPhone‌ connected to other playback devices (like car stereos), and improved call quality.

Historically, Apple has launched significant AirPods updates alongside new iPhones, so an early September event, likely shared with the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 17 series, remains the most plausible window. Apple is expected to hold its annual ‌iPhone‌ announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely dates. According to internal information from German mobile phone providers, the ‌iPhone 17‌ event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9.