With manufacturers happily shoving AI into everything, we're starting to see more devices offering features such as automatic summaries of text and audio – so for example iOS 18 will bring AI-powered call transcription and summaries to the iPhone 16 later this year, and some of the best Android phones will soon be packing similar summarization features. And now a new leak suggest that the feature could be supported by OnePlus' earbuds too, having already been added as a feature to its phones in China (but not elsewhere yet).
The news comes via Android Authority, whose investigation into the code of the OnePlus wireless earbuds app has revealed evidence that strongly suggests AI call summaries are coming to the expected future OnePlus Buds Pro 3 model, and possibly more OnePlus models too. The feature would enable you to start or stop a call summary by triple-tapping the stem of your earbuds.
When will you get the OnePlus Buds' new AI features?
That's a very good question, because OnePlus's existing AI call assistant feature, which is what the earbuds really control, rather than having the tech built into the buds themselves, hasn't been launched outside China yet.
As for the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, they haven't been launched either: at the moment the most recent earbuds from the firm are the OnePlus Buds 3. A successor to the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is widely anticipated but as yet hasn't been confirmed, so as yet we have no indication as to when the earbuds-controlled AI feature will be available. We also don't know which other OnePlus Buds, if any, will be able to summon the summaries.
Although this feature will be exclusive to OnePlus phones it's not the only option on Android: Google is reportedly bringing the very similar Call Notes to its Pixel 9 phones in the next two weeks, and Samsung has its own AI transcription features in Samsung Notes for Galaxy phones. That latter option isn't quite as seamless as Call Notes – Samsung's transcriptions need you to provide a recording rather than creating one itself – but bringing that to live calls is surely just a matter of time.
We don't if Apple's version of this tech can be activated via AirPods, but with Apple Intelligence seemingly delayed until after the launch of iOS 18, OnePlus might be the first to offer the convenience of earbuds-activated AI note taking in calls.
