(All of the features below presume that the AirPods are in your ears and connected to your iPhone)
Use your Shortcuts App to automatically connect to iPhone and set noise cancel at 50%
- Open Shortcuts app
- Tap Plus icon and then add action
- Search for “Set Noise Control Mode on” and select it
- Tap grey oval with “Route”
- Select your AirPods
- Select Noise Control mode with desired mode, in this case it’s noise cancellation
- Add another action by typing in Search Actions for “Set Volume” to i.e. 50%
- Rename at top to something you’ll recognize
Now automate it:
- Click on Automation icon, bottom middle of screen
- 10.Click “New Automation”
- 11.Select “Blue Tooth”
- 12.Chose your device (on top line), click on it, click on Done
- 13.Select “is Connected”
- 14.Select “Run immediately”
- 15.Select “Next” on top line
- 16.Select the Shortcut name from procedure above
Now, when Now, whenever you put your AirPods in your ears and they connect to your phone, this shortcut will run.
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Super Transparency
This featured has improved in newer AirPods Pro thanks to Adaptive Mode
In Control Center select the icon that looks like an ear
You will see four items:
- Your AirPods (shows the name of your device and battery level, that’s all)
- Background Sounds -needs to be turned on and then you can select sound. Be sure it is turned on in Settings>Accessibility>Audio Visual (in Hearing section)> toggle on/off “Background Sounds” . Tap the name of them item again to collapse the choices.
- Hearing Assistance -select the items you want assistance on and set amplification, balance, ton and ambient noise reduction. Experiment to see what works best for you.
- Live Listen – clicking on this option makes your iPhone a microphone and it sends the sound to your AirPods. It also picks up ambient sounds. It can help in listening to TV by placing the phone near the TV speakers. You can listen to conversation elsewhere if you leave the phone there. Distance limits apply with the blue tooth connection.
Hearing Test
You can take a medical grade, hearing test (audiogram) with these AirPods. The FDA has approved them as a medical device. I’d say that Apple will continue to improve the functionality.
Conversational Awareness (for second generation AirPods)
If you are listening to music and speak to someone, the music/sound will pause to let you speak and hear someone. After it detects the end of the conversation, you will return to what you were listening to.
To use this feature, open Control Center, touch and hold volume control and choose the features you want.
Personalized Spatial Audio
You can actually use it to customize spatial audio according to the shape of your ears. Go to Settings > AirPods > Personalized Spatial Audio and follow the instructions to set it up. You’ll be prompted to hold the phone in front of your face, then turn your head left and right to map your ears. Once set up, ensure spatial audio is enabled from the Control Center, and test it out with supported movies and music.
Now, I am not quite sure to what it does to the default Spatial Audio, but I’m assuming that the personalized version is to cater to the district ear shape of every individual, and turning it on will probably only work in my favor.
Sharing Music
With Audio Sharing, you can simultaneously connect two different
pair of AirPods to your iPhone so that both of you can enjoy the audio from both ears. To do this, Swipe down to access the Control Center, then tap the AirPods icon located in the top right corner of the music playback box. Tap on Share Audio.
Now, bring a second pair of AirPods or Beats nearby, open the case lid, and press and hold the pairing button on the case. Follow the on-screen prompts to connect this additional pair to your phone, and you’ll be able to enjoy the same music together.
Use Control Center and select Background Sounds, pick one, (Balanced Noise, Bright Noise, Stream, etc) and set volume to suit yourself.
Here are several links for further insight —
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102628 using the stems for control
https://support.apple.com/en-us/104979 adaptive use
https://support.apple.com/en-us/120991 hearing test
Summarized article in Medium by The Evil Geek, November 2024.