EarPods

Another hands-on video shows genuine-looking, working Lightning EarPods in action

Apple's official Lightning-based EarPods (that could be marketed under the 'AirPods' moniker, according to a trademark filing) were already filmed on video and depicted on leaked photos. Today, UK-based mobile accessory firm MobileFun posted a hands-on video of its own of what appears to be a wired, Lightning-based edition of the EarPods.

Apple, as you know, is widely expected to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack from its next iPhone in favor of Bluetooth wireless headsets and Lightning-based wired ones, the latter potentially providing lossless digital sound.

Apple said to be building wireless earbuds with low-power Bluetooth chip

Apple has spent the last few years developing a custom Bluetooth radio chip for wireless earbuds, reports Forbes. Citing a source with knowledge of the project, the outlet says the earbuds could be ready to launch this fall.

If true, the timing makes sense, given that Apple is slated to unveil a new iPhone in September. The handset is expected to ship without the customary headphone jack, indicating the company is going all-in on wireless.

Fully functional Lightning EarPods caught on video

Following blurry photos of an alleged Lightning-based edition of the EarPods, Apple's stock iPhone headphones, a new video now gives us a far better look at what appears to be fully functional headphones resembling the EarPods, except they connect into the iPhone's Lightning port.

Published on YouTube channel EverythingApplesPro on Friday and first discovered by French blog iGen.fr, the 60-second clip shows the headphones connected via Lightning to an iPhone running iOS 9. They work as you'd expect, including controlling playback via the in-line Play/Pause and Volume Up and Down buttons.

Genuine-looking iPhone 7 Lightning-to-3.5-mm audio adapter caught on video

As you know, the next iPhone is expected to ditch the 3.5mm analog audio jack for wireless headphones, powered by Bluetooth, and wired ones, driven by Lightning. Now, certain sources are adamant that the handset may ship with a Lightning-to-3.5-mm audio adapter in the box so that folks could continue using their existing audio accessories.

Today, we get another glimpse of the claimed adapter in a set of leaked images and an accompanying high-resolution video. This latest leak came on Thursday via Vietnamese blog Tinhte.vn, which claims to have received the adapter from a Foxconn factory.

Deutsche Bank analysts think iPhone 7 will ship with Lightning-to-audio dongle

The next iPhone, which sources in China think could be marketed as ‘iPhone 6SE’ to reflect its iterative nature, may ship with a Lightning-to-audio dongle and still end up selling better than the current-generation iPhone 6s, which hasn't quite lived up to Apple's internal expectations.

That's according to a Deutsche Bank research note issued to clients last week, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider. The investment bankers also shared their predictions for the next iPhone's features, based on their supply checks.

Photographs of claimed Lightning-based EarPods leak on the web

A sketchy photograph just surfaced on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo, appearing to show off a Lightning-based version of Apple's standard EarPods headphones. As you know, Apple is widely expected to ditch the 3.5mm analog audio jack on the next iPhone in favor of wireless headphones via Bluetooth and all-digital wired headphones based on Apple's proprietary Lightning connector.

Report reiterates that Apple is working on Bragi Dash-like fully wireless EarPods

There's been a lot of debate lately among Apple watchers as to whether or not the next iPhone, which the rumor-mill thinks will ditch the 3.5mm audio jack and rely on Bluetooth and Lightning headsets, will ship with a wireless version of the EarPods headphones or one of Beats' wireless headphones.

9to5Mac is now reiterating prior reports, saying Apple is indeed working on its own fully wireless EarPods that should resemble the Bragi Dash.

Apple patents hybrid wireless/wired earbuds for iPhone that are magnetically detachable

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) on Tuesday awarded Apple a patent for magnetically detachable earbuds for an iPhone that could work in both wired and wireless mode. The invention is of particular interest in light of the rumor that the next iPhone will ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of Lightning-enabled and wireless Bluetooth headphones.

The proposed device would use two cables, one to connect the headphones together in wireless mode (like the connecting cable found on the Beats Solo2 wireless headphones) and the other to connect the headphones to a host device in wired mode.

iPhone 7 may ship with wired EarPods after all

Apple's upcoming iPhone 7 will include an all-digital, wired edition of the EarPods headphones that will connect to the handset's Lightning port, not the wireless edition as previously rumored.

According to an analyst note from Barclays, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider, Apple has not yet purchased a license from its supplier Cirrus Logic that would permit the company to use Cirrus' active noise-canceling software.

Cirrus technology would be needed to filter out background noise during phone calls were Apple to ditch the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Apple is reportedly building wireless earphones that will fit inside your ear and come with charging case

Apple is reportedly building brand new, completely wireless earphones that will fit inside of a user’s ear, along with a charging case, as per 9to5Mac.

The in-house designed hardware is similar in concept to the Motorola Hint headset and Bragi’s new Dash and said to include a noise-cancelling microphone system. The accessory will be “a premium alternative” to a Lightning-enabled version of the EarPods headset that's also in the works (EarPods are the wired in-ear headphones that came with your  iPhone).

Three days ago, Japanese blog Macotakara first reported on Apple's plans to bundle the iPhone 7 with a wireless headset. The following day, Fast Company said Apple is working with a supplier on a new noise-canceling technology to be used both in the iPhone 7 and the new earphones to help remove background noise in music playback and in phone calls.

Apple allegedly plans to bundle iPhone 7 with wireless EarPods

Following a November 2015 claim by the Japanese blog Macotakara which asserted that Apple will ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone port on an 'iPhone 7' to focus exclusively on supporting Lightning-enabled headsets and wireless headphones, a new supply chain rumor published Tuesday by Chinese websites Anzhuo.cn and Feng claims that the Cupertino firm will actually bundle the next iPhone with a wireless version of its EarPods headphones to make up for the missing headphone jack.

How to use your iPhone EarPods like a pro

Those funky headphones that came with your iPhone—EarPods with Remote and Mic they're called—only have 3 buttons but boy do they perform a surprising number of functions beyond volume control. And with built-in mic, your EarPods can make and receive phone calls and control media playback.

Moreover, you can use them for recording voice memos, interacting with Siri hands-free, VoIP calling in apps like Skype and more, all with a pinch of the cord. Wait, I need this article to tell me how to plug my EarPods and listen to music?

We're not saying you're not familiar with your EarPods. But as with other things in life, there are always new tricks to be learned. This post will hopefully help you master your EarPods like a pro.

In this article, we'll tell you all the cool things your EarPods can do, from rich playback control and controlling Siri to switching calls on the fly, using VoiceOver and so forth. We'll also discuss EarPods compatibility, talk about keeping your headset in pristine condition and lay out sound advice for using your headset responsibly.