The iOS 26 functionality which turns off the headphones when you fall asleep is not limited to the AirPods

At the WWDC25 Keynote, Apple has announced a new AirPods feature that would allow headphones to stop when they feel that their wearer falls asleep. But it has now been discovered that the function is a little more versatile than it suggests.

A contributor to the MacRumors technological site has discovered the code which indicates that the functionality is linked to iOS 26, rather than on the AirPods line specifically, and suggests that it will also work on Apple Beats headphones. A good thing, since the Beats range is wider than that of the AirPods and, in the form of the $ 70 Batts Flex and $ 80 beating the solo buds, has two options much cheaper than even the most basic AirPods.

Once you run iOS 26, a new option to “suspend the media at the end” will appear (and should be activated by default, although this can be switched to the Settings application once the headphones are connected). With this activated function, all sounds that play in your headphones will stop when you get away, saving your place in a podcast or a reading list. It will also turn off your headphones and thus preserve the life of the battery.

Apple has not yet revealed how headphones are able to feel when the carrier is asleep, and no clue to this subject was discovered in the beta code. A pair of Apple headphones, the PowerBeats Pro 2, has the capacity to monitor heart rate, which would probably be enough, but none of the other models does. In fact, the monitor and sensors networks vary considerably through the scoring and air swipes, so it is difficult to see how a method could be applied to all. We do not expect the functionality to extend to third -party headphones, but I hope that Apple will soon provide more clarity.

The new feature is part of the new update of the iPho-iPhone 26 software, but to use it, you will also have to update your headphones with new firmware. For Airpods, this can be a slightly mystifying process.