During the WWDC 2021 keynote, Apple announced several new features for its AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max headphones.

These upgrades, which will launch "this fall," range from improvements to the spatial audio capabilities of the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, which will eventually allow spatial audio to be used with Apple TV content, to a new " This ranges from the "Notification Notification" feature.

Also announced during the event, Announcement Notifications in conjunction with the new focus settings in iOS 15 will be an optional feature that reads out important notifications on AirPods. This is similar to the existing Announce Messages feature, but in addition to reading out messages, it will also provide audio notification of events such as deliveries.

Apple will also upgrade the way the AirPods series works with the "Find My" app; when AirPods are synced with the app, a separation alert will appear if the headphones are thought to have been left somewhere. Previously, "Find My" was useful for locating AirPods that were known to be lost, but this will help prevent loss before it happens.

The higher-end AirPods models also offer some special upgrades. Apple is finally adding spatial audio support to Apple TV that works with both AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. It has always been a mystery why this 360-degree surround sound technology was not available in tvOS, so it is good to finally see full compatibility. iOS15 will also support FaceTime for spatial audio calls.

AirPods Pro will also add a brand new "conversation boost" feature. Designed for users with "mild" hearing loss, Conversation Boost uses the earphones' built-in microphone to pick up and enhance conversations.

With the AirPods 3 being widely rumored to launch this year, it still seems encouraging that Apple is actively updating its existing AirPods line. Then again, the AirPods 3 will likely be a less expensive wireless earphone than the AirPods Pro, so it may not benefit from the same features themselves. In any case, expect to see these new AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max features added this fall.