Your AirPods Have a Hidden Feature You Probably Didn’t Know About

Apple currently sells two models of AirPods that support active noise-cancellation: the AirPods Pro ($249) and AirPods 4 with ANC ($179). If you have either one, then your AirPods have a hidden feature that allows you to customize them to better work for you.

It has to do with Adaptive Audio, which is likely the mode you use the most when wearing AirPods.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Wait, what’s Adaptive Audio?

Adaptive Audio is a mode that sits between active noise-cancellation and transparency modes, and blends the two together dynamically and in real time. When turned on, your AirPods automatically adjust the ANC and transparency levels depending on the environment you’re in.

The idea with Adaptive Audio is that you don’t have to think about switching between ANC and transparency modes — your AirPods do the work for you. It’s a kind of “catch all” mode for your AirPods.

Apple first rolled out Adaptive Audio in September 2023 with the release of iOS 17. At the time, it was only supported by AirPods Pro (second-generation), but now is supported by AirPods 4 with ANC, as well.

Note: Adaptive Audio is powered by Apple’s H2 chip and isn’t supported on AirPods Pro (first-gen) or AirPods Max (Lightning or USB-C).

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

How to customize Adaptive Audio

In my experience, Adaptive Audio is excellent. My only issue is that it never goes full ANC or full transparency. So, if you’re in a stable environment that’s either constantly quiet or loud, it’s probably better to use the dedicated ANC and transparency modes instead.

That said, with the release of iOS 18 this past fall, Apple rolled out an additional feature that allows you to customize Adaptive Audio. Specifically, you can have its default setting veer more towards ANC or more towards transparency.

It’s a subtle tweak to Adaptive Audio, admittedly, but if it’s the mode that you keep your AirPods constantly in — and there’s a good chance it is — then it could be a game-changer. Here’s what you need to do …

On your iPhone or iPad:

1. Place your AirPods in your ears.
2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
3. Select your AirPods.
4. Scroll down and select Adaptive Audio.

On your Mac:

1. Place your AirPods in your ears.
2. Select the AirPods icon from your Mac’s menu bar (top-right).
3. On the drop-down menu, select [Name of AirPods] Settings … (near the bottom).
4. Scroll down to the Audio section and find Adaptive Audio.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

From here, you have the option to customize Adaptive Audio by selecting “Less Noise” or “More Noise,” depending on if you want to let more or less or the outside noises in. The default setting setting is an equal balance between the two.

To learn more about customizing your AirPods’ Adaptive Audio, check out Apple’s support page.

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