Have you ever wanted to tune out the world and focus just on the music playing in your ears? Or do you prefer hearing your surroundings for safety and awareness while wearing earbuds? Apple‘s AirPods offer customizable sound settings to match your listening needs…
A Brief History of Noise Canceling Technology
Over the past few decades, noise canceling techniques have advanced dramatically in consumer audio products. The first noise canceling headphones hit the market in the late 1980s…
Table 1. Noise Cancellation Specifications by AirPods Model
| Model | Active Noise Cancellation | Transparency Mode |
|---|---|---|
| AirPods Pro | Yes | Yes |
| AirPods Max | Yes | Yes |
| AirPods Gen 1 | No | No |
| AirPods Gen 2 | No | No |
Step-by-Step: Toggling Noise Controls on Your AirPods
You have a few different options for turning noise cancellation on or off with your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. Here‘s how it works…
Method 1: Using the AirPods Force Sensor
The easiest way is to long press the force sensor on your AirPod. This allows you to cycle between the different sound settings:
To confirm the mode change, your AirPods will chime when you switch to transparency or noise cancellation.
If you don‘t hear a chime after long pressing, first check that noise controls are enabled under Bluetooth settings on your paired iPhone. If they are, but long presses still don‘t work, here is some troubleshooting advice…
Method 2: Via iPhone Settings Menu
Alternatively, you can manage noise controls through your iPhone‘s Bluetooth settings.
First, open your Settings app and select Bluetooth. Among the list of devices, choose your AirPods:
Then toggle noise cancellation on or off:
One caveat is that this iPhone method only works if you are actively wearing your AirPods in your ears when making the changes. The sensors have to detect the AirPods positioning.
If you still don‘t see the noise cancellation options under your connected AirPods, try re-pairing your AirPods with your iPhone by opening the case next to the phone and holding down the small button on the back of the case. This should force a new pairing connection.
Method 3: Via Control Center
You can also turn noise cancellation on or off directly from Control Center for quick access.
First, open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of any screen on your iPhone.
Then long press on the volume control icon, and your AirPods noise control options should appear!
Tap the modes to cycle between transparency, noise cancellation, and off.
So in summary – whether you want to mute the outside world and focus on your music or podcasts, or stay alert to ambient sounds around you – AirPods give you that flexibility!
Now let‘s talk about how Apple‘s noise canceling tech compares to other wireless earbuds…
How AirPods Stack Up Against Other Noise Canceling Earbuds
While Apple wasn‘t first to the wireless earbud market, the AirPods have become an iconic headphone brand with popularized features like instant pairing, a pocketable charging case, and hands-free Siri access.
But companies like Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser have more experience developing noise cancellation tech specifically. So how do AirPods models with ANC compare?
Professional criticsgenerally agree that the AirPods Pro provide better active noise cancellation than you‘d expect relative to their size. The in-ear design creates a good sound seal to block out ambient noise effectively.
However, over-ear models like the AirPods Max and offerings from Bose and Sony have larger drivers and battery capacity to sustain stronger ANC across wider frequency ranges.
Here is a snippet from soundguys.com‘s 2022 review, which named the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II as current ANC leaders:
"The AirPods Pro 2 play in the same league as the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II and edge out the Sony WF-1000XM4 when it comes to ANC quality. Apple’s duplex ANC system makes these the best noise cancelling true wireless earbuds the company offers."
While excellent, AirPods noise cancellation may still not match the performance of specialty brands focused solely on audio quality. However, Apple‘s tight integration with the Apple device ecosystem is a major advantage, enabling seamless connectivity, configuration, spatial audio for movies, and future software improvements.
Speaking of future advancements…Apple is continuously tweaking its noise canceling algorithms and hardware design to analyze and attenuate ambient noise faster and more selectively.
What Next? Apple‘s Noise Canceling Roadmap
One exciting area Apple is pursuing is using AI modeling to train noise cancellation on a vast range of real-world environments. Instead of simply targeting certain frequencies, Apple‘s future earbuds may understand noise patterns like voices, wind, engines and suppress them automatically.
Apple is also working on innovative driver technologies like using dual moving coils attached to a single diaphragm to deliver better bass and mid-range clarity. Combining these audio upgrades with improved noise cancellation makes for an very compelling AirPods roadmap!
In my experience, the AirPods Pro already provide amazing noise isolation during my daily commute, allowing me to delve into a podcast or album without loud train interuptions. I also appreciate the flexibility to toggle transparency mode on walks for situational awareness while still enjoying my music.
I‘m excited to see how Apple pushes noise cancellation even further with future AirPods generations!
So in summary, while noise cancelling earbuds have been around for years, Apple‘s AirPods brought the technology into the mainstream…
