
New successful iOS 26, Apple's Camera Remote diagnostic for AirPods offers a neat solution successful scenarios wherever modular telephone photography mightiness autumn short. If you've ever utilized the Camera Remote app for Apple Watch, it offers akin benefits. When taking radical photos, you tin presumption your iPhone astatine the cleanable angle, measurement into the frame, and trigger the changeable with a elemental property of your AirPods. It tin besides assistance seizure steadier footage erstwhile shooting video, since you're not handling the camera and don't request to enactment with on-screen controls.
Getting the Beta Software
Before you tin entree the Camera Remote feature, you'll request to person the due beta bundle connected your devices. First, instal iOS 26 beta oregon iPadOS 26 beta connected your iPhone/iPad by following these instructions.
Once you person your instrumentality moving the iOS 26/iPadOS 26 beta, you request to springiness Apple support to instal beta firmware connected your AirPods.
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone oregon iPad, past unfastened Settings âžť [Your Name]'s AirPods.
- Scroll to the bottommost of the paper and prime AirPods Beta Updates.
- Toggle the power adjacent to AirPods Beta Updates to the greenish ON position.
After you've completed these steps, the firmware update volition beryllium installed automatically erstwhile your AirPods are successful their charging lawsuit and adjacent to your iPhone/iPad/Mac. This could instrumentality anyplace from a fewer seconds to respective minutes, truthful beryllium patient.
Enabling Camera Remote
After updating the firmware of your AirPods 4 oregon AirPods Pro 2, you tin alteration and configure the Camera Remote feature:
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone, past unfastened Settings.
- Tap your AirPods sanction nether the Apple Account banner.
- Scroll down to "Camera Control", past pat Camera Remote.
- Choose your preferred gesture: Press Once oregon Press and Hold.

The "Press Once" enactment responds to a azygous pat connected your AirPods stem, portion "Press and Hold" requires you to support unit connected the stem to activate the camera.
Using Camera Remote
Once enabled, the diagnostic works seamlessly with the built-in Camera app. Wearing astatine slightest 1 paired AirPod, simply unfastened the Camera app and prime either Photo oregon Video mode, past framework your changeable arsenic you usually would. When you're acceptable to capture, usage your chosen AirPods motion to trigger the camera remotely.

When taking photos, your selected motion triggers a 3-second countdown, aft which the camera captures a burst of 10 photos. This gives you aggregate shots to take from, expanding your chances of getting the cleanable image. When shooting video, the motion starts and stops video recording, functioning overmuch similar a wireless grounds button.
The Camera Remote diagnostic works astatine immoderate region wrong your AirPods' Bluetooth range, making it useful for wide-angle shots and originative photography wherever you request to beryllium immoderate region distant from your device.
And that's it. iOS 26 besides brings further AirPods features and improvements similar auto-pause audio erstwhile dormant and improved telephone quality. A wide merchandise of iOS 26 is expected astir mid-September.
Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Pro
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral), AirPods Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: AirPods
This article, "iOS 26: Remotely Control iPhone Camera With Your AirPods" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com
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