In recent weeks, we’ve seen celebrities like LeBron James and Daniel Ricciardo walking around with a mysterious Beats speaker that looks a lot like the old Beats Pill+. Now with the release of iOS 17.5 RC on Tuesday, we’ve been able to confirm that Apple does indeed have plans to bring Beats Pill back.
Beats Pill bluetooth speaker is coming back…
Code from iOS 17.5 RC confirms that the company is about to launch a new generation of the Beats Pill after discontinuing the Pill+ in 2022 without introducing a replacement. For those unfamiliar, Beats Pill is a Bluetooth speaker under the Beats brand.
Today’s iOS 17.5 release also includes assets for the new Beats Pill, which should be available in red, starlight, and black.
The Beats button will function as the main control button. With a single press, users can mute or unmute the microphone in a call, play/pause audio, or accept calls. A double press skips songs or ends calls. A triple press skips back to the song. The new Beats Pill can be quickly paired with an iOS device just like AirPods.
It remains unclear whether the new Beats Pill will only work via Bluetooth or whether it will also feature AirPlay compatibility. We also don’t know if it will be recharged via the USB-C port, but that seems extremely likely given the latest Beats products.
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