Apple's rumoured camera-equipped AirPods just got a fresh vote of confidence, courtesy of code buried inside iOS 27 beta 2. Developer Sam Henri Gold spotted references to an unreleased product codenamed B790, and the discovery arrived within the same day that a separate leaker claimed the entire project had been suspended, leaving two conflicting signals pointing in opposite directions.
The code Gold found is a system prompt template designed to process ‘two images from cameras on either side of the user's head,’ handling the left image first and the right one second. That description effectively outlines stereo image processing, in which two slightly offset views of the same scene provide Apple's AI with extra spatial context.
The template also includes worked examples, asking about the Eiffel Tower or a coffee mug along with fallback instructions telling the system to request a new image if the original comes out blurry or poorly lit.
Gold initially floated smart glasses as the likely target, but the codename tells a different story. Apple's AirPods Pro 3 carry the internal codename B788, while the company's rumoured smart glasses are tied to the N50 codename instead. B790 fits far more naturally into Apple's existing audio-hardware numbering than into its glasses lineup, which is why multiple outlets now treat camera-equipped AirPods as the more likely explanation.
The camera placement described in the code, positioned on either side of the head, also lines up better with earbuds than with a front-facing glasses design.
The bigger question isn't whether the hardware exists, but when it might actually ship. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported that both the camera-equipped AirPods and Apple's smart glasses are now targeting a late 2027 release, a shift from earlier hopes of a 2026 launch.
Adding to the confusion, leaker Kosutami posted that the AirPods camera project had been "suspended" the same week the code surfaced, a claim that sits awkwardly next to active development work showing up in a shipping beta. Whether that means a full cancellation, a temporary pause, or simply a slower internal timeline remains unclear.
Also Read: Apple's Next Major Hardware Move: iOS 27 Code Suggests Foldable Phone Support
If the product does arrive, its core pitch centers on Visual Intelligence, the feature that already lets iPhone users point their camera at an object and ask Siri what it is. Camera-equipped AirPods would extend that same capability to earbuds, letting users ask contextual questions about their surroundings without pulling out their phone.
Early pricing chatter places the product above the existing AirPods Pro 3, possibly in the $299–$349 range under a new ‘AirPods Ultra’ branding, though none of these details have been confirmed by Apple.