While the AirPods Pro 2 are already the best AirPods available, it looks like future versions could get better in ways we hadn't really expected.
On February 4 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a new patent (via PatentlyApple) relating to its line of in-ear audio hardware, which could see a future AirPods Pro model get more extensive touch controls – even if you’re using them with a pair of gloves, theoretically.
Touch controls are a tricky thing for in-ear headphones: unlike the roomier over-ear models, which have plenty of space to accommodate large touch panels, in-ear headphones need to react to quite small, precise movements.
The existing AirPods Pro 2 earbuds do support touch controls for volume, playback, and ANC modes, but through a limited series of presses and vertical swipes along the protruding stem.
This new patent, however, looks to replace the small vent in the AirPods Pro casing with an external touch sensor, likely enabling more controlled adjustments to volume, playback, and the like.
The diagrams included in the patent seem focused on vertical movements, like those used to adjust volume along the stem of existing AirPod models. It's possible that this sensor would allow Apple to ditch the stem sensor for a more reliable, responsive version, though the end product could potentially allow for a wider variety of inputs.
Crucially, this sensor doesn't seem to require capacitive touch inputs, like those enabled by the conductive touch of your finger, but rather through the motion of an 'object' moving up or down along the sensor's 'geometric' edges.
This suggests that users can deploy touch controls even with a gloved hand, allowing for easier volume and/or playback adjustment in colder weather – something at the forefront of our mind in the ongoing winter.
At the moment, you can play/pause/change ANC modes on the AirPods Pro 2 by pinching the stems, and this works with gloves on – but the volume control doesn't, which is a slightly frustrating inconsistency.
It’s been three years since the launch of the AirPods Pro 2, and it’s highly likely we’ll see the AirPods Pro 3 release some time in 2025. Just because something is patented, of course, doesn’t mean it’s about to be imminently deployed, but if Apple were able to squeeze this smart tweak to touch controls into the next version, it would be a nice quality-of-life upgrade.
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