iOS 17 to Add Adaptive Audio Feature on AirPods Pro (2nd Gen): How it Works

AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) are set to receive a noteworthy software upgrade with the arrival of iOS 17 later this year. At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote event on Monday, Apple announced that its latest truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones will gain a new feature called Adaptive Audio that can intelligently analyse your environment to adjust transparency mode and active noise cancellation (ANC) settings, without any input. It can blend both modes together based on you interacting with your environment over the course of a day, according to the company.

During the WWDC 2023 keynote event, Ron Huang, Apple VP for Sensing and Connectivity, announced that the second-generation AirPods Pro would gain support for Adaptive Audio, a feature that dynamically blends both ANC and transparency mode. This mixed mode will allow you to shut off background noise, while important sounds like horns and bells will continue to alert you.

Apple says that it will used personalised volume controls based on machine learning trained on your listening preferences over time, in combination with the Adaptive Audio feature that uses both ANC and transparency mode, to offer a better experience while listening to music and podcast episodes.

Meanwhile, AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) will also be updated with another useful feature when iOS 17 arrives, called Conversation Awareness. When music is playing on the AirPods, the feature will detect when you are speaking and automatically lower the media volume, reduce background sounds, and focus on the voices of people facing you.

Apple says that Adaptive Audio will also block external sounds while speaking on a phone call, allowing you to hear the other participants without distractions. You will also be able to mute yourself with a pinch gesture. Automatically switching an AirPods connection across Apple devices will also become more seamless later this year, according to the company.