While the rest of the AirPods lineup relies on voice- and touch-based controls, the AirPods Max have two physical buttons on the right headphone: the Digital crown, for controlling playback and volume, and a noise control button for switching between modes.

Here’s where to pre-order Apple’s new iPhones, AirPods and watches, and shop the latest Hokas, Lululemon clothes, Glossier makeup and more.

iOS 26 is a major update for iPhone users, but it comes with a variety of new features for AirPods users too—especially anyone with AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4, or the new AirPods Pro 3. Here are the upgrades coming to AirPods users who update to iOS 26.

Everyone has dirty ears; the human ear is designed to produce earwax to protect itself from other junk getting in there, among other things. That means that the more you put your precious new AirPods Pro in your ear holes, the dirtier they are likely to get.

The AirPods Pro 3 use an Acoustic Seal Test to check the fit of ear tips, according to a new Apple support document. Apple says that the

If you have battery anxiety about your AirPods, Apple is throwing you a bone in iOS 26 with notifications that tell you when your wireless earbuds are fully charged. Perhaps more helpfully, it will also tell you when your case needs to be juiced up so you don’t leave the house with dead AirPods.

Apple’s third-gen pro earbuds make a very strong case for upgrading. Alongside all those iPhones and Watches, Apple revealed the AirPods Pro 3, packing in major new features, like live translation and heart-rate sensing,