AirPods get five new features in iOS 26, but three require an H2 chip

The days of buying headphones and getting a static feature set are long gone. Since the launch of AirPods Pro 2 in particular, Apple has consistently upgraded AirPods products with new features via firmware. In iOS 26, there are five more new features coming—but more than half are exclusive to AirPods with an H2 chip.

iOS 26 continues trend of adding new AirPods features

When it comes to AirPods updates, Apple has gotten in the rhythm of big annual feature drops.

For example,