Learn how to use your AirPods or AirPods Pro as a wireless camera control button to take pictures and record videos on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 26.
There are several ways to remotely control your iPhone’s Camera app, like using your Apple Watch, asking Siri, or with third-party Bluetooth shutter buttons.
iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and the latest AirPods firmware update add yet another method, which involves using the touch sensor in the AirPods stem to control the stock Camera as well as third-party camera apps.
Supported AirPods models
AirPods Camera Remote control is supported on:
- AirPods 4
- AirPods 4 with ANC
- AirPods Pro 2nd generation
- AirPods Pro 3
What you need
- iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or iPadOS 26.
- AirPods running the latest beta firmware version. For my AirPods Pro (2nd generation), the Camera Remote feature is available starting with firmware version 8A279d.
Turn on AirPods Camera Remote in Settings
This setting is disabled by default, so activate it first to use your AirPods as a wireless camera shutter button.
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone or iPad and tap the AirPods name from the top.
- Tap Camera Remote under the Camera Control heading.
- Select Press Once or Press and Hold. For a faster capture, you should select the Press Once option.
Take pictures and record videos on iPhone using your AirPods
After enabling the Camera Remote feature, using it as a wireless control for your iPhone or iPad camera is a breeze.
- Make sure either one or both AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad, and you’re wearing them in your ears.
- Open the stock Apple Camera app and switch to Photo, Video, or one of the other modes as needed.
- Now, depending on what you selected for the Camera Remote earlier, press the AirPods stem or press and hold it to trigger the camera shutter button.
Your iPhone will start a 3-second countdown and then take a picture. If you had switched to the selfie camera, it takes a burst of 10 pictures.
And if you’re in Video, Pano, Cinematic, Slo-Mo, or Time Lapse mode, it will start the recording. Press or press and hold the AirPods stem again to stop the recording.
AirPods Camera Remote also works in other apps
The AirPods Camera Remote feature follows the same steps as the new Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series and works with many third-party apps.
- Open a third-party camera app, such as Blackmagic Cam, ReLens, Snap Pro, or Varlens. You can also open the camera section of apps like Instagram or Snapchat.
- Switch to photo or video mode in the concerned app.
- Then, press or press and hold either AirPod stem to take a photo or start a recording.
I tried several camera apps, and AirPods Camera Remote works in about half of them. Surprisingly, as of now, it doesn’t work in Apple’s own Clips app and the iPad’s Photo Booth app.
One unusual thing I noticed is that the RetroCam app would crash immediately if I used the AirPods Camera Remote feature to take a photo. However, the app didn’t crash if I tapped the on-screen shutter button.
The AirPods Camera Remote feature works to mimic a single touch of the camera. It can’t mimic touch-and-hold.
For instance, if you open the Snapchat camera and use the AirPods Camera Remote, it will simply take the photo. You can’t use your AirPods to mimic the touch-and-hold gesture of the Snapchat shutter button to record a video. Similarly, touching and holding the shutter button in the Apple Camera app starts QuickTake video recording, but you can’t do that using AirPods Camera Remote.
Regular AirPods controls are disabled when you use Camera Remote
AirPods Camera Remote works only when the camera interface is on your iPhone or iPad screen. So, during this, pressing the AirPods stem won’t pause and resume music playback. Or, pressing and holding won’t invoke Siri or activate Noise Control modes. However, once you exit the Camera app, you can again press or press & hold the AirPods stem to trigger the set actions.
On a related note: How to pick up and decline calls on AirPods using head gestures