Why You’ll Be Able to Leave the New AirPods in Your Ears All Day

Your AirPods Pros could soon stay in your ears a lot longer. 

Apple's latest iOS 17 uses algorithms to automatically lower the music volume during conversations or permit essential ambient noises through the headphones. The new software means you won't have to keep removing AirPods for daily activities. It's part of a growing wave of devices that use advanced techniques, including artificial intelligence (AI), to reduce noise.  

"Noise cancellation can be performed with relatively simple models, such as taking a snapshot of background noise and inverting it throughout the audio being cleaned to cancel it out," Emil Winebrand, the CEO of the generative AI audio company insoundz, told Lifewire in an email interview. "However, these processes tend to be crude and can add unpleasant artifacts to the remaining audio. Using AI deep learning techniques combined with a very good set of data to train the AI results in noise removal with much more pleasing and musical results."

Smarter AirPods

AirPod Pros are getting some new tricks through a software update. The headline feature involves the introduction of separate modes, namely Conversational Awareness and Adaptive Noise Control. In iOS 17, these can be accessed by swiping downward to reach the Control Center. Once your AirPods are connected, a long press on the volume slider will bring up these options.

Adaptive Audio, also called Adaptive Noise Control, is a unique feature of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2. It seamlessly merges Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency into a unified mode tailored to adjust playback volume in response to your surroundings and daily interactions.

It's designed to filter out unwanted ambient noises, such as the roar of an airplane, while ensuring you don't miss out on important sounds, like someone speaking to you.

Another cool feature is Conversational Awareness, a component of Adaptive Audio that has the capability to sense when someone is talking. It automatically reduces the media volume and minimizes background interference while amplifying voices in your vicinity so you can stay engaged in the conversation.

There's also Adaptive Audio, which is Personalized Volume, which modifies the playback sound according to your individual preferences and the ambient noise around you. Over time, your ‌iPhone‌ learns your preferred volume levels and adjusts accordingly to meet your specific sound requirements.

AI for Your Ears

Apple has been reticent about sharing the details of how the new audio modes work, however, some observers say that it's likely driven by machine learning. AI helps with noise cancellation by learning to recognize different kinds of noise. It can then remove these noises without changing the sound you want to hear. For example, AI can eliminate traffic noise during a phone call or crowd noise in a recording.

"Picture AI as a highly intuitive conductor in an orchestra, differentiating between every note and harmonizing them to perfection, Ankit Prakash, the founder of the tech firm Sprout24, said in an email. "Traditional noise-cancellation methods can sometimes miss out on variable, unpredictable noises. With its ability to learn and adapt, AI discerns between essential auditory data and background clamor. Thus, it offers a dynamic solution, continually improving its performance based on real-time input."

AI-noise canceling can be for more than just fun. Samsung has developed an AI-powered app designed for individuals with autism, which automatically reduces the volume of sounds that may trigger fear without eliminating background noise. Leveraging machine learning, the algorithm swiftly combs through vast audio libraries, diminishing stress-inducing sounds like sirens or dog barks for the user. Unlike typical noise cancellation, Unfear selectively suppresses only disturbing noises, continuously adapting to the user's environment.

Microsoft has created noise-canceling tools that use AI, but their precise mode of operation and technical structure are proprietary, Winebrand noted. He said the new Revive system from insoundz is an AI-driven system based on code accessible to researchers. 

"While AI-driven noise removal is currently optimized for human speech, it's inevitable that other forms of audio will benefit from this sort of audio cleanup in the future," he added. "The most obvious example is music, whether it's forensic recovery of audio evidence, restoration of old and degraded music sources from wax cylinders to wire recorders, or simply making modern recordings sound the best that they can be."