apple: Apple’s next AirPods may have this big new feature – Times of India

Apple is expected to launch the next-generation AirPods Pro later this year. Although the tech giant is not known to reveal any detail about its upcoming products, news about its upcoming products does leak out at times through its suppliers or resellers. Now, as per a report by Apple Insider, the company is working on a new AirPods feature that will work when it hears a specific codeword. The report suggests that the feature is aimed to turn on/off noise cancellation. The technology that will enable the feature was recently spotted on Apple’s patent application.
The patent hints that the upcoming AirPods model will feature better noise cancellation than the current-generation. In simple terms, the feature in the patents is said to help with the better adaptability of the noise cancelling feature. The codeword will just trigger the upcoming feature just like ‘Hey Siri’, ‘Hey Google’ or ‘Alexa’ trigger voice assistants. In simple terms, it is difficult at times to hear someone calling your name when you have noise cancellation on AirPods on. With your name as the codeword, the AirPods will automatically turn off the noise cancellation so you can answer your call.
It is worth noting that technologies that are demonstrated in Apple patents do not always make it to the actual product. Also, if the company is planning to add this technology in the upcoming AirPods, it still may take a few years. Apple is also reportedly working on AirPods with various health features including posture and body temperature monitoring. Apart from this, the AirPods will also have the ability to work as a hearing aid, reads a report by The Wall Street Journal. The claims are based on documents in which a prototype of these earbuds is seen with temperature sensors that monitor the wearer’s core body temperature from inside the ear.