This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column on 9to5Mac providing a quick overview of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: Apple’s smart doorbell project, new AirPods Pro developments, iOS 19 device compatibility, and more. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.
Apple’s smart home doorbell
Apple has several new Home devices coming out in 2025, but this week, Mark Gurman announced that there is yet another Home product in the works for a future release: a smart doorbell.
Apparently, Apple’s doorbell product would integrate seamlessly with smart locks – and perhaps even come with one itself – so that when the doorbell camera authenticates you with Face ID, the door can unlock automatically.
My takeaways
I’ve long wished Apple would take the smart home more seriously. I’m down for every new Home product the company creates. We previously heard that an Apple security camera was in the works for 2026, and a smart doorbell makes sense as another device using much of the same camera technology.
Even if you’re not interested in purchasing high-end Apple smart devices, Apple’s expansion in this area should see HomeKit, Matter, and the Apple Home app improve. This will be a good thing for all smart home users.
AirPods Pro 3 and beyond
Mark Gurman shared several details this week about Apple’s work on AirPods Pro 3 and beyond. We have learned that the following new features are in development:
- heart rate monitoring, similar to what the Apple Watch offers
- temperature detection, another health-focused addition
- and integrated cameras, probably geared towards AI functionality
Gurman expects heart rate monitoring to be ready for the AirPods Pro 3, but the other features will likely be later additions.
My takeaways
This year’s iOS 18.1 update for AirPods Pro 2 was a major step in making AirPods even more indispensable in users’ lives. Features like hearing aids and hearing protection provide a strong incentive to wear AirPods more often. Apple’s upcoming features look set to continue this theme.
As AirPods generate more and more health data, there are more and more reasons to keep them in your ears. And with built-in cameras that can proactively scan your surroundings, AirPods could prove especially essential.
Models supported by iOS and iPadOS 19
The often reliable iPhoneSoft leaker has shared a list of supported models for the upcoming iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 releases. The list indicates that every iPhone model running iOS 18 will also be able to support iOS 19.
On the iPad side, the news is almost as good. The only iPad excluded from iPadOS 19 will be the base 7th generation iPad with an A10 chip.
My takeaways
It’s impressive that Apple can offer an extra year of support for the same set of iPhones. I wonder, though, if iOS 19 will continue this year’s trend of limiting more features than ever to just modern devices.
For example, I expect Apple to deliver a host of new Apple Intelligence features in iOS 19, all of which will require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. As more and more iOS leverages AI, it may be easier to technically maintaining support for older devices while In fact denying them many features.
iPad 11
Apple’s base model iPad is overdue for an update. According to an anonymous source with a solid track record of leaks, the 11th generation iPad is expected to be released in early 2025. The new device is expected to run iPadOS 18.3.
We don’t know much else about this new iPad, but a faster chip and support for Apple Intelligence are the main expected additions.
My takeaways
iPadOS 18.3 is expected to arrive in early February, so it’s possible the new iPad will debut then. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a March release alongside the iPhone SE 4 and up.
Either way, the base iPad is the only model not updated in 2024, so the sooner an upgrade arrives, the better.
Which of these Apple rumors are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments.
