Why Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods may not be the ‘pervert pods’ consumers fear
9:19 AM PDT · August 18, 2026
Camera-equipped AI wearables today have developed a bit of a reputation problem. Devices like Meta’s Ray-Bans raise concerns about people being recorded without their consent. So the idea that Apple is reportedly preparing to release AirPods with cameras in them seems to conflict with the iPhone maker’s desire to position itself as a privacy-focused tech company.
But Apple’s now-leaked camera-equipped AirPods may not be as creepy as they first sound.
The rumored cameras were reportedly confirmed via video footage found in Apple’s macOS 26.7 RC (short for “release candidate,” or the final test version of the software before it ships publicly). The footage shows a man holding up a book while wearing AirPods and apparently having a conversation with Siri about it.
The audio track accompanying the video says: “With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later.”
The addition of cameras to the popular wireless earbuds is further confirmed through code that references a “Hair Detected” error, which would warn users when their hair is covering the AirPods’ camera. The launch of such a device could very easily backfire on Apple if not done right.
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Some additional info about AirPods Pro 4 with cameras, found in macOS 26.7 RC:
If you have long hair that blocks the camera, there will be an error that is titled "Hair Detected" that says "to get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods Show more
@aaronp613
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Here is your first look at AirPods with Cameras in action using Visual Intelligence.
This video file came from macOS 26.7 RC
12:57 PM · Aug 18, 2026
For a company whose brand is built on trust, this is a bigger gamble for Apple than one of its typical hardware refreshes. AirPods currently blend as a simple iPhone accessory that people wear all day without a second thought. A change like this could instead push them to the front of people’s minds, making them wonder whether the person opposite them is secretly recording.
Apple appears to have thought this through, based on prior reporting. According to an earlier report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the AirPods with cameras won’t be able to record media. As Gurman put it:
“The cameras essentially act as eyes for the Siri digital assistant and aren’t designed to take photos or video. These components — located in both the right and left earbuds — allow the device to capture visual information in low resolution.”
In other words, the goal isn’t to turn one of Apple’s best-selling accessories into a surveillance device (lest they become “pervert pods”). It’s to provide a way for AirPods owners to engage with the newly upgraded Siri AI, which is set to ship in September with Apple’s iOS 27 and other software updates.
That means an AirPods wearer could look at something — like a book, as shown in the leaked video, or perhaps some ingredients they’re preparing to cook, per Gurman’s earlier reporting — and simply ask Siri for help. The feature could also be useful for turn-by-turn walking directions when navigating an unfamiliar city.
For Apple, the bigger strategic bet is that this feature could also push consumers toward, if not a screen-free future entirely, then at least one where there’s less need to pull out an iPhone throughout the day. By baking AI access into a commonly worn and already socially acceptable wearable, Apple’s customers could interact with the world around them in a more natural way than staring down at a glowing screen.
There is one wrinkle, though. Gurman also reported that the new AirPods would include an LED indicator that lights up whenever the device is sharing visual data to the cloud. He questioned the light’s visibility, given the AirPods’ small size, but either way, its inclusion could work against Apple. Though it’s the right thing to do from a transparency and privacy perspective, that LED risks visually lumping AirPods in with other AI wearables already facing public skepticism, like the Meta Ray-Bans, Snap’s Specs, or Google’s new AI glasses. Apple can control what the cameras do, but it’ll have far less control over what people assume they do.
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Sarah Perez
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‘Unprecedented’ number of Apple users received recent spyware alert, say investigators
1:18 PM PDT · August 17, 2026
An unprecedented number of Apple customers have reported receiving a recent threat notification alerting them to suspected spyware attacks targeting their devices, according to experts who investigate these types of incidents.
Several people publicly and privately reported receiving Apple’s spyware alerts over the weekend, after Apple sent out a new wave of notifications on Friday alerting customers in 110 countries that they had been targeted with powerful spyware.
From time to time, the technology giant sends these types of alerts in batches to customers that it believes have been either targeted or compromised with malware normally used by governments, which the company refers to as “ mercenary spyware.” In the last few years, Apple says it has alerted people in more than 150 countries.
The latest batch appears to have been the largest yet, per one of the digital rights groups that Apple suggests victims of spyware reach out to for help.
Mohammed Al-Maskati, the director of the Access Now team of investigators who review and investigate reports to the helpline, told TechCrunch that since Friday, they have received a record high number of people reaching out for help. This includes people who had already received threat notifications in the past.
Al-Maskati said the number is around 30% to 40% more than the nonprofit’s investigators usually receive after Apple sends out new notifications.
Cybersecurity firm iVerify also confirmed to TechCrunch that it was seeing an influx in threat notifications from Apple.
An unusually large number of people have also publicly reported receiving these notifications over the weekend as well, according to several social media posts.
Contact Us
Have you received a notification from Apple about being targeted with mercenary spyware? Or do you have information about spyware makers? We would love to hear from you. From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email .
One of them is a Ukraine Armed Forces soldier who said he is fighting the war against Russia. The soldier, who asked to remain anonymous to protect himself, said that he initially thought it was a scam, until he verified it with Apple.
“I was a bit surprised to be honest, I wouldn’t have thought I was important enough for them to target me like this. I am flattered though,” the soldier told TechCrunch.
The soldier also said that he is aware of other people in Ukraine’s military who have received the same notification. “They were a bit worried,” he said.
The Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment, asking whether it was aware of other Ukrainians, particularly soldiers, receiving these notifications.
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, a digital rights group that has investigated government spyware attacks for more than 15 years, told TechCrunch that the reports show that spyware attacks may be more prevalent than people realize.
“The scale and geographic diversity of public posts about receiving notifications are pretty unprecedented,” said Scott-Railton. “For every public notification like this, you can imagine there’s a huge notification iceberg that the public will never learn about. This is a clear indication that something bigger is going on.”
Both Al-Maskati and Scott-Railton said that the volume of people receiving the alerts could also be attributed to Apple’s new methods of alerting users.
Starting this year, Apple now notifies users on their iPhone lock screen, in their Settings app, via the email associated with their Apple account, and when users log in to their Apple Account on the web.
“Apple’s new notification method has helped raise awareness of the issue’s importance, making it harder for users to ignore,” Al-Maskati said.
Apple did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
If you’ve received one of these notifications, take it seriously. If you are not a journalist, dissident, or human rights defender, there are other organizations that can help you investigate.
If you haven’t already, as Apple and experts suggest, turn on Lockdown Mode, a special security feature designed to make it harder to hack iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. Apple has said that it is not aware of anyone who had Lockdown Mode enabled getting hacked.
Updated with additional data from iVerify.
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Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
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Fairphone is launching its latest repairable phone in the US too
4:00 AM PDT · August 18, 2026
Fairphone, the Dutch company known for its sustainable and repair-friendly phones, on Tuesday said its latest smartphone, Fairphone (Gen 6+), is now available in the U.S, starting at $649.
The company previously had a partnership with French open-source operating system maker e/OS to sell a “de-Googled” version of its previous smartphones in the States, but this is the first time people in the U.S. can buy the company’s phones directly without any modifications. The company said the Fairphone 6+ will support T-Mobile and AT&T at launch.
The Fairpone 6+ is strictly a midrange Android offering, but given the increasing prices of consumer gadgets amid the ongoing component shortages, a repairable device that can be made to last for years may prove a good proposition.
Image Credits: Fairphone
“We’re delivering a device built from the ground up to be opened, repaired, and kept alive for many years,” Fairphone CEO Raymond van Eck said.
The Fairphone 6+ runs on Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, and has 12GB of RAM. The phone has a 4,415 maAh battery with support for 30W fast-charging. It features a 6.31 LTPO OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
As for photography, the phone’s main camera has a 50-megapixel Sony sensor with an f/1.88 aperture, and the secondary camera has a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera on the front is a 32-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.
Personally, I would have preferred a telephoto camera instead of an ultrawide for a two-camera setup. On paper, these cameras look like they would be good enough to take photos in the daylight, but in low light, expect the performance to dwindle.
The Fairphone’s main selling point, however, are its 12 replaceable parts, which include important components like the battery, cameras, USB-C port, and the display, which can be swapped out using a single screwdriver. The company offers five years of warranty and software support until 2033.
Fairphone claims it also focuses on keeping its manufacturing process sustainable. The company said it was able to reduce the carbon footprint to 30 kg of CO2e for each of the Fairphone 6+ it manufactured.
The Fairphone 6+ is available in Forest Green, Horizon Black, and Cobalt Blue colorways. The company is also selling accessories, like a finger loop, lanyard and card holder, which users can install by removing the back cover.
Topics
Fairphone, Gadgets, Hardware, repairable smartphone, smartphones
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Ivan Mehta
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Latest in Gadgets
In Brief
Apple’s new macOS update reportedly contains a video of AirPods with a camera
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Spotify’s new Playlist Notes let users and editors explain their song picks
12:24 PM PDT · August 17, 2026
Spotify announced Monday the launch of “Playlist Notes,” a new feature that lets listeners add their thoughts to the playlists they make. The feature builds on “ User Notes,” which the streaming giant debuted last month, allowing people to add personal notes to individual tracks.
With Playlist Notes, users can add context to songs, podcast episodes, and audiobooks in their playlists. Maybe a song reminds you of someone, brings back a specific memory, or is simply a track you think everyone should hear.
To add a note, go to the mobile app. Open a playlist that you either own or collaborate on; tap the three dots next to a track, podcast episode, or audiobook; choose “add note”; and save it. Anyone who can view the playlist can see the note.
Spotify is also bringing the idea to its own editorial playlists. Now Spotify’s editors can add notes explaining why they picked certain songs. To start, listeners will see the feature on some of Spotify’s biggest playlists, including Today’s Top Hits, RapCaviar, Hot Country, All New Pop, and Fresh Finds Hip-Hop.
There’s a new profile feature for those editors, too. Editor Profiles show an editor’s top tracks and albums, along with the playlists they work on. It gives listeners a bit more insight into the people behind Spotify’s curated recommendations.
User-created notes are rolling out on iOS and Android devices in more than 100 markets. Editor notes and profiles are rolling out to free and premium users ages 16 and older in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
While it’s arguably a small feature, it fits into Spotify’s bigger push to make the app feel more social and personal, giving users a chance to explain the stories and reasoning behind their favorite music.
It also gives Spotify another way to stand out from rivals Apple Music and YouTube Music. The company recently reported its Q2 earnings, touting that it surpassed 300 million subscribers for the first time. It also reached 777 million monthly active users.
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Why people aren’t buying Mark Zuckerberg’s AI future
1:32 PM PDT · August 16, 2026
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500-word essay this week declaring that “The Future is for Everyone” and painting an optimistic picture of a future powered by AI, where “everyone will have an exceptionally capable personal agent that understands you, your goals, and everything you care about.”
On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Rebecca Bellan, and I discussed why not everyone is buying Zuckerberg’s vision — including our colleague Russell Brandom, who wrote that the manifesto is “exactly why people don’t like AI.”
Comparing Zuckerberg to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei (who spent the weekend pushing back against the idea that he’s an AI doomer), Rebecca said the Meta CEO seems to be positioning himself “almost like an anti-Dario.” The problem, however, is Zuckerberg and Meta’s history.
“You look back to the social media days, [Zuckerberg] was saying that he wants to make sure that everyone has an outlet for talking to their friends and having a social network,” Rebecca said. “And what do we have instead? We have rage-baiting and advertisements, and not connection.”
Keep reading for a preview of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Rebecca: Cynically, I think that this is an attempt for Meta to win in a different way. They’re not winning in the frontier, closed-model space. They’re not necessarily even winning in the open space. But when it comes to personal empowerment, as Mark Zuckerberg talks about in his letter, “The Future is for Everyone,” that’s where he’s trying to win. He’s trying to provide the models that people will use for their own personal AI on their own personal devices.
I think last year, when he published a [similar] “Futures for Everyone” letter, [the promise] was that a lot of that AI would go onto the glasses, the wearables, but it’s not really clear what the final hardware form factor for this would be, and I guess he’s like leaving it up to the individual to choose.
So his idea is that you’re using Meta’s new AI model Glimmer for managing your schedule, drafting messages, organizing files, it’s always on, it can operate anytime, anywhere, with or without an internet connection.
But then there is still Muse Spark, so that maintains a way for them to have some level of control over, still, its most capable models, and provide a revenue outlet for people who want to scale their compute, and people who want to like do larger projects, or companies that might want to do larger projects.
Anthony: I imagine the part of the context here is also — Meta has made some very serious investments in AI, last year there [were] also all these stories about how much money they were trying to pay for AI scientists, but in terms of who we think of as the leading companies, the frontier labs, Meta doesn’t tend to come up in the conversation.
Another way it doesn’t come up in the conversation is in, you know, what are the popular consumer AI chatbots? Certainly, people are interacting with Meta AI tools in Instagram, in Facebook, but it’s not a company that you think of when, “I’m going to go use my personal assistant.” Meta isn’t that yet, and so it feels, to a certain extent, this is an attempt to reposition them and try to claim space that they really haven’t been that successful at before. Is that fair?
Rebecca: I think that is really fair to say. And I would take it with a grain of salt because Mark Zuckerberg loves to put out a vision of what his companies will do for people and how they will empower people. And so far, what that looks like for Meta — I mean, of course, Llama is great; it’s a great tool and open source, but I think that on a consumer level, how are people using Meta AI? Well, there’s like a lot of creepy-ass chatbots.
My TLDR is: I think that [Zuckerberg’s] letter and his idea of personal empowerment is putting a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths because it’s him who’s saying it. Russell Brandom, our AI editor, wrote about this this week. You look back to the social media days, he was saying that he wants to make sure that everyone has an outlet for talking to their friends and having a social network. And what do we have instead? We have rage-baiting and advertisements, and not connection.
Kirsten: Yeah, I think that the manifesto didn’t strike the right note for a lot of people. And to Russell’s point, which he makes in this column, is it’s what’s making people hate AI or hate on AI — because, to your point, it is coming from Zuckerberg, and I do think also it feels very Pollyannish in a way. He’s put these thoughts out there in the past, and it really doesn’t provide what I think is a more realistic picture, but instead casts AI as this great tool for humanity. That might be the case, but there will also be extreme costs to that, and I think that’s why the negative reaction to it has been so widespread.
Rebecca: It feels like he’s positioning himself as almost like an anti-Dario. I don’t know. There’s a lot of talk among the frontier labs: “We’re pacing the frontier, pulling back, focus on safety. We need to slow down development.” They’re not doing any of that, of course, but they’re talking about it, and because of all these recent cybersecurity incidents that we’ve had.
Whereas Mark Zuckerberg, on the other hand, is like, “No, no, we do not slow down. We cannot afford to give an inch to China, and slowing down would only hurt the individual, who can be empowered by this technology.”
But I mean, I was like, “Oh, maybe I’ll try to download Muse Glimmer and see what I can do with it.” Can I download it to my MacBook? No. You need specific hardware. I forget what the hardware is — it’s not actually that accessible to the average person.
Kirsten: It’s not for everyone. Not yet.
Anthony: The one positive thing I will say for this very long manifesto — 6,500 words, longer than almost anything that’s been published on TechCrunch — is that there is one sentence where he says, “If you are an AI doomer and you believe that that’s the future th
