Testing the new feature as well as custom volume and conversation awareness.

If Apple presents the next Version of iOS at WWDC, we expect all the new features that will improve the iPhone. However, it is not guaranteed that the company will also take advantage of this opportunity to update its popular wireless headphones. Along with the introduction of iOS 17, a firmware update adds new features to the second-generation AirPods Pro, most of which automatically adapt to your environment or activity, so you don’t have to touch or grab the headphones. for your phone.

The title is Adaptive Audio, a tool that automatically and “dynamically” combines transparency mode and active noise cancellation (ANC) depending on your environment. Apple says it will continuously change the noise control settings throughout the day and make the appropriate adjustments when you switch to different settings. Thanks to the AirPods Pro’s H2 chip, the headphones use a combination of computerized audio and machine learning algorithms that can distinguish in the middle coherent and transient noise. The technology inside the headphones also takes into account whether you are stationary or moving, and whether you are listening to music or answering a call when you make the automatic settings.

The idea is that this happens without you realizing it. As your environment changes, Adaptive Audio gradually begins to fine-tune the mixture of ANC and transparency. So when you walk into a noisy cafe or sit by a noisy air conditioner, AirPods Pro gently increases the noise cancellation to counteract the noise. This is to smooth out the transition so that the change in the cancellation level itself does not become a distraction.

In fact, if you don’t really pay attention to fluctuations or if you experience loud noises, you won’t notice them. It gradually increased the ANC when I was washing dishes at the sink or grinding coffee to keep the sound clear enough that I could hear it. But it also returned to the transparency mode that I had previously active when I ventured to a quieter place. It works very well and does not shake at all thanks to the smooth but still fast transition.

Previously, you could switch in the middle transparency mode and ANC by holding down the AirPods Pro stem. You can also reconfigure one of them to simply turn off the noise control completely. Apple allows you to exchange one of the accessible options on the headphones via Adaptive Audio, but the company maintains it on only two parameters via the built-in controls. As you might expect, Adaptive Audio can be accessed through the Control Center, where the AirPods options have been reorganized. There is a noise control section that expands to give you access to transparency, adaptive audio, ANC and shutdown just below the volume control.

The next new feature is the custom volume. This “uses machine learning to understand environmental conditions and listening preferences over time in order to automatically adjust the multimedia experience,” Apple said. This is another layer of hands-free customization that AirPods Pro perform when you move from place to place. However, the “over time” part means that I haven’t used it long enough to really notice a difference. After only a few days of testing, I can’t say that I lived a period where adaptation was obvious. Maybe the feature is taking longer to learn my preferences, or maybe Apple’s claims that you will hardly notice the difference are true. Anyway, I don’t feel comfortable weighing the merits yet. The custom volume is activated from the AirPods Pro settings menu, just above the loud noise reduction option.

A new practical tool that I see is quickly becoming popular is conversation awareness. When you start talking, this function automatically reduces the volume or pauses, focuses on the voices in front of you and reduces background noise. It is similar to Sony’s Speak-to-Chat, except that it completely pauses the media when it recognizes your voice. This is where Apple reduces the volume when listening to music and pauses things like Podcasts and audiobooks. The main problem with the Sony Version is that it is easily triggered by a slight cough or throat clearing. After a few days of testing, conversational awareness is less prone to false positives, unless you’re really hacking. And if you find that you don’t like it, you can disable it completely in the AirPods Pro settings.