8 New Features and Additions We Need to See in AirPods 2

AirPods have become a surprising critical and consumer hit since their release. And according to a slew of reports, there’s a next-generation version of the Bluetooth earphones coming sometime next year.

We know with a good degree of certainty that the new AirPods will sport a Qi-based wireless charging case. But there are still a variety of other features that would make AirPods the best wireless Bluetooth headphones on the market. Here are 8 New Features and Additions We Need to See in AirPods 2!

8 AirPods ‘Sharing’

If you grew up in the era of wired headphones, you probably remember cord splitters. Sure, they cut the volume in half, but they were a great way to share music, movies or other audio between you and a friend (without blaring sound through speakers).

AirPods have no wires, and thus, no way to share music with friends. That’s why one concept artist came up with an AirPods ‘sharing’ feature that could allow multiple AirPods to connect — and listen — to the same audio source at once. It’s pretty genius, which is why Apple should give this person a job.

7 More Music Controls

Apple likes simplicity. The AirPods are an excellent example of that. There aren’t any buttons or unnecessary design elements on them. They’re clean and minimalist — but, of course, that does come with its own set of downsides.

For one, there’s no way to change the volume on AirPods themselves except for invoking and asking Siri. To be clear, we don’t expect any buttons to be added. But, per these clever Reddit suggestions, Apple could add an additional touch-sensitive portion to the tail of AirPods that could allow for a “tap and slide” motion to change volume.

6 Noise Cancellation

AirPods are some of the best-reviewed wireless earphones on the market (and one of Apple’s standout hits of the last few years). That’s at least partly because of their excellent sound quality. But, of course, they aren’t perfect. And one of the chief complaints about the audio quality is the lack of noise cancellation.

It isn’t entirely clear how Apple would add noise-canceling features to AirPods, since most other headphones with noise cancellation sport rubberized tips or an over-ear design. But there are some rumors suggesting that Apple is in the process of doing so.

5 Health Features

Apple has increasingly invested in the health and wellness spheres over the last few years. That’s why adding health features to AirPods is a no-brainer for the company (and is also a move that will undoubtedly be appreciated by users).

There have been a variety of rumors suggesting that Apple is planning on adding an array of health features to AirPods 2. Presumably, some of these features could work in conjunction or even bump up the accuracy of the Apple Watch’s own health and wellness sensors.

4 New Color Options

Like nearly all Apple-produced accessories, AirPods are white. It’s a clean and minimalist look for sure, but it wouldn’t hurt to add some variety to the mix in the next generation of the wireless headphones.

At the very least, a Black or Space Gray version is probably in order — especially since many people opt for those colors for their iPhones. But Apple could also add iPhone XR-style colors, or even a (PRODUCT)RED version, like designer Jesse Pitela envisioned in a concept mockup.

3 Seamless Siri Responses & ‘Hey Siri’

Siri is a useful way to interact and control various functions using AirPods. But the implementation isn’t perfect. Even the aforementioned Siri volume control is kind of clunky. You have to invoke Siri, pause your music, say a command and wait for a response. It could do with a bit more seamlessness.

On a similar note, part of the way Apple could boost Siri’s effectiveness on AirPods is to add always-on ‘Hey Siri’ functionality on the headphones themselves. Luckily for users, that’s a feature that Apple is rumored to be adding to the next iteration of the Bluetooth earphones.

2 Water Resistance

AirPods are great for exercise and working out. But if you’ve ever worried about sweat or rain damaging the Bluetooth headphones, you certainly wouldn’t be the first. AirPods, like EarPods before them, have no water-resistance rating.

Ruining a pair of EarPods in the rain is no big deal, but AirPods aren’t exactly cheap. That’s why water-resistance is a must. Luckily, Apple is largely rumored to be adding water-resistance to the next generation of AirPods — which could see a release in the first half of 2019.

1 More Sizes or Better Fitting Options

For the most part, AirPods fit extremely well and definitely aren’t as prone to falling out as you might expect. Yet, everyone’s ear shape is different. While it isn’t a widespread problem, AirPods simply don’t fit everyone as well as they could.

Apple should accommodate that fact with some type of solution to make sure everyone can have AirPods. That may mean changing the design and adding some type of adjustment capability or simply launching AirPods in different sizes.