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Apple's iPhone Could Soon Support Pairing With Wireless Earphones, Third Party Smartwatches

Apple's iPhone Could Soon Support Pairing With Wireless Earphones, Third-Party Smartwatches

Apple's Proximity Pairing feature is said to streamline how an iOS device recognises and connects to external accessories.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 23 December 2025 15:13 IST

Apple's iPhone Could Soon Support Pairing With Wireless Earphones, Third-Party Smartwatches

iPhone currently only supports fast pairing with proprietary devices like AirPods and Apple Watch

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Highlights

A new proximity pairing method is said to simplify Bluetooth pairing
Users may be able pair third-party earbuds and watches like AirPods
These changes align with the EU’s Digital Markets Act rules

Apple on Monday released the iOS 26.3 Beta update for iPhone to developers and beta testers. It includes fixes for bugs and software issues that users have experienced in previous iterations. The most notable change, however, concerns third-party accessories, in compliance with the European Union (EU)'s Digital Markets Act (DMA). As per a report, the update streamlines the process of pairing wearables like wireless earphones and smartwatches to iPhone and iPad, while also enabling notification support.

Apple Brings Support for Third-Party Accessories to iPhone

According to a MacRumors report, iOS 26.3 Beta hints at easier accessory pairing workflows for third-party Bluetooth devices. Code references discovered in the update hint towards a new mechanism that could potentially simplify the process of pairing wireless earphones, third-party smartwatches, and other accessories with an iPhone.

The in-development feature is said to streamline how an iOS device recognises and connects to external accessories and reduce complexity compared to the current process, which requires manual Bluetooth.

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The report suggests that these interoperability changes are coming with a feature called Proximity Pairing. It is expected to work similarly to the current AirPods and Apple Watch process on iPhone, which requires the user to bring the device closer to the phone for pairing to begin. A pop-up menu will reportedly appear, and the non-MFI accessory will be paired, making it a one-step process.

Apart from this, the Cupertino-based tech giant's latest beta update is also said to enable support for receiving notifications on third-party accessories like smartwatches. As per the report, users will be able to view and react to incoming notifications, similar to the Apple Watch. However, notifications can only be forwarded to one connected device at a time, which means enabling them for a third-party accessory will disable them for the Apple Watch, if they own one.

These changes are said to be an indicator of Apple's further compliance with the EU's DMA. However, they are reportedly limited to the region, which means only users residing in the EU can test them.

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Further reading: iOS 26, iOS 26.3, iOS, iPhone, Apple

Shaurya Tomer

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Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), he often likes to explore the industry's intricacies and innovations – whether dissecting the latest smartphone release or exploring the ethical implications of AI advancements. In his free time, he often embarks on impromptu road trips to unwind, recharge, and ...More