Written By Divya
Hands-Free Photos? Your AirPods Can Do That Now With iOS 26
With iOS 26, Apple adds Camera Remote for AirPods - a new feature that lets you take iPhone photos or videos hands-free by pressing your AirPods stem.
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A New Way to take photo
Tired of awkward group selfies? With iOS 26, you can now use your AirPods to take photos on your iPhone — no more stretching your arm or rushing for the timer.
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What s the Feature Called
Apple has added a new feature called Camera Remote for AirPods. It lets you click a picture or start recording video just by pressing the stem of your AirPods.
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Works Only on These AirPods
Before you try, make sure your AirPods have the H2 chip. That includes AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4. Older versions won’t support this feature.
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How to Enable Camera Remote
Once your AirPods are connected to your iPhone: Go to Settings > AirPods, Tap Camera Remote under Camera Control, Choose how you’d like to capture: Press Once or Press and Hold
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Try it out!
Open the Camera app and press the AirPods stem - that’s it. You can take pictures or record videos hands-free using any camera mode.
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IOS 26
When you click through AirPods, you’ll see a quick 3-second countdown on screen before the photo is taken. The flash also blinks during this time.
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It Works for Videos Too
If you’re recording, pressing the stem once starts the video and pressing again stops it. Just like tapping record on your iPhone - but much easier during setups.
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A quick tip!
Want to hide your AirPods in the photo? Start the camera process with the AirPods in your ear, then remove them during the countdown and hold them discreetly till the picture clicks.
