AirPods Max 2’s Digital Crown has a useful new feature

While the new AirPods Max 2 have the same overall design as the previous AirPods Max, the Digital Crown has received a small but useful upgrade.

On AirPods Max 2, the new Remote Camera feature lets you press the Digital Crown to take a photo and start or stop video recording while using the Apple Camera app or compatible third-party camera apps on an iPhone or iPad.

Apple says this feature requires AirPods Max 2 running the latest firmware and paired with iPhone and iPad models running iOS 26.4 or iPadOS 26.4 or later. Those software versions are still in beta testing, but will be released in time for the launch of AirPods Max 2 in early April, barring any unexpected delays.

Here are all the Digital Crown controls on AirPods Max 2:

• Turn on the volume control
• Press once to play or pause media
• Press once to answer the call or mute or unmute
• Press once to get the camera remote
• Press twice to hang up
• Press twice to jump forward
• Press three times to jump back
• Press and hold Siri

Other improvements compared to the previous generation include the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversational Awareness, Voice Separation, and Live Translation. In addition, AirPods Max 2 supports the short “Siri” command alongside the long “Hey Siri.”

Read other AirPods Max 2 specs to learn more:

AirPods Max 2 will be available to order on Apple.com and the Apple Store app starting Wednesday, March 25, with US pricing set at $549. Apple says the headphones will launch in early April, but hasn’t given a specific release date.