Your iPhone just got a secret upgrade from Apple — here’s what changed overnight

The next big iPhone update from Apple, iOS 26, has a lot of new tools and design changes that will catch your eye. But sometimes, the best improvements aren't even shown off in flashy presentations. Apple apparently quietly added a small but important fix for AirPods music playback.

If you've ever been annoyed that your music suddenly switched from your AirPods to another Bluetooth device, Apple finally has a fix. And it comes in the form of a new setting that is hidden in iOS 26, as per a report by Gear Patrol.

The changes will be ringing in your iPhone when Apple releases iOS 26. The new "Liquid Glass" design, the streamlined Camera app, and the addition of multiple useful new features to the Message and Phone apps are some of the highlights.

But like every time Apple releases a new operating system, some of the most beneficial new features are frequently left out of WWDC announcements and only made public by developers and early adopters when the betas are made available, as per a report by Gear Patrol.

Apple is addressing a common annoyance when streaming music to your AirPods or other wireless headphones or earbuds with a new setting on your iPhone with iOS 26.


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What issue does this feature fix?

When you turn on your car's speaker system or a Bluetooth speaker, the music on your AirPods (or any other wireless headphones) automatically switches to another Bluetooth device. The fact that you then have to manually switch it back through your iPhone's Bluetooth settings makes it annoying, as per a report by Gear Patrol.

To solve this precise problem, iOS 26 will add a new setting called "Keep Audio with Headphones." The iOS 26 public beta includes the setting.

How does "Keep Audio with Headphones" work?

This is how Apple explains it: “When using AirPods or other wireless headphones, keep audio with headphones when other devices like speakers or cars connect to iPhone.”

If you're playing music on your AirPods and then turn on a second Bluetooth device while "Keep Audio with Headphones" is toggled on, the music won't automatically switch and will still play on your AirPods, as per a report by Gear Patrol.

By default, this "Keep Audio with Headphones" setting will probably be toggled off. To change it, follow these steps, as per a report by Gear Patrol.

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Select General.
• Select AirPlay & Continuity.
• Toggle on Keep Audio with Headphones.

When will it be released?

When Apple announces its next-generation iPhones in early to mid-September, iOS 26 will be formally released.

iOS 26 has a lot of big changes that get a lot of attention, but it's the little things that users often like the most. Apple is making listening to AirPods easier, more reliable, and less annoying by fixing the common problem of audio, as per a report by Gear Patrol.

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For millions of iPhone users, "Keep Audio with Headphones" could be one of the year's most underrated updates.

FAQs

What does "Keep Audio with Headphones" mean?
It keeps the music playing on your AirPods or wireless headphones even when another Bluetooth device connects.

When will iOS 26 come out?
Apple is likely to release iOS 26 in the first half of September.