If you listen to audio using Beats or AirPods when going to bed, iOS 26 has a useful new feature for you. The update adds a “Pause Media When Falling Asleep” option that is designed to shut off your earbuds when you’re no longer awake to listen.
Apple mentioned the feature during its Worldwide Developers Conference, but it was highlighted as an AirPods feature. Code discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser suggests that the option is also available for Beats headphones.
The option to pause audio when asleep will save your spot in an audiobook or a podcast, but it should also preserve battery life by preventing your earbuds from staying on all night.
Pausing audio should be on by default when you install iOS 26, but it can be enabled by connecting your headphones to your iPhone and then tapping on them in the Settings app. Apple has not explained how the Beats or AirPods detect that you’ve fallen asleep.
You’ll need iOS 26 to use the option, plus updated firmware that Apple is beta testing. iOS 26 is limited to developers, but a public beta is coming soon. The update will launch this September.
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