Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes for AirPods

You can switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Noise Control modes on your AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, depending on how much of your surroundings you want to hear. You can also turn off Noise Control.

What are Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes?

With Active Noise Cancellation, an outwards-facing microphone or microphones detect external sounds, which your AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods Pro 1, AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Max then counter with anti-noise, cancelling the external sounds before you hear them. An inward-facing microphone listens inside your ear for unwanted internal sounds, which your AirPods also counter with anti-noise.

Transparency mode lets outside sound in, so you can hear what's going on around you. Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode work best when your AirPods Pro fit well.

If you have AirPods 4 (ANC) or AirPods Pro 2 and the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, you can also use Adaptive Audio, which adjusts the noise cancellation for you in response to and based on your surroundings.

With AirPods Pro 2, noise control modes can also reduce your exposure to loud environmental sounds.

Switch between noise control modes

You can switch between Noise Control modes directly from your AirPods, or you can use your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac. When you switch between modes, you will hear a chime.

When you use iOS, iPadOS, watchOS or macOS to switch between noise control modes, you will see Active Noise Cancellation available as Noise Cancellation.

Switch between noise control modes on your AirPods Max

When you’re wearing your AirPods Max, press the Noise Control button to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes. You can customise which modes to switch between (Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode and Off) in the Bluetooth settings on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Noise control button on AirPods Max. The button is on the top of the right ear cup, opposite of the Digital Crown.

Switch between noise control modes on your AirPods 4 (ANC) or AirPods Pro

Press and hold the force sensor on the stem of an AirPod until a chime plays.

airpods-pro-change-noise-mode-sound-mode-sensor-right

When you’re wearing both AirPods, press and hold the force sensor on either AirPod to switch between Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode and Off. With AirPods 4 (ANC) and AirPods Pro 2, you can also switch to Adaptive Audio. You can customise which modes to switch between in AirPods Settings on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

To use Active Noise Cancellation with one AirPod only, use your iPhone or iPad to go to Settings > Accessibility > AirPods, and turn on “Noise Cancellation with One AirPod”. Then press and hold the force sensor to switch between noise control modes.

Switch between noise control modes on your iPhone or iPad

  1. Swipe down from the top right-hand corner of your device to open Control Centre on your iPhone or on your iPad.

  2. While wearing your AirPods, touch and hold the volume slider until you see the additional controls.

  3. Tap the Noise Control buttonnull in the bottom left-hand corner.

    Volume control in Control Centre on iPhone. The Noise Control button is the first button below the volume slider.

  4. Tap the noise control mode you want.

You can also customise and switch between noise control modes in Settings:

  1. With your AirPods in your ears and connected to your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings.

  2. Tap the name of your AirPods.

  3. To switch between noise control modes, tap Noise Cancellation or Transparency. To select the noise control modes you want to use with the force sensor on your AirPods 4 (ANC) or AirPods Pro, or with the noise control button on your AirPods Max, select two or three modes under Button Cycles Between.

    AirPods Pro settings on iPhone. Noise control options are after the Name field.

Switch between noise control modes on your Apple Watch

  1. When you're listening to audio through your watch, tap the AirPlay icon .

  2. Tap the noise control mode you want.

Switch between noise control modes on your Mac

  1. With your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max connected to your Mac, click Control Centre in the menu bar.

  2. Click Bluetooth.

  3. Choose your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, then choose the noise control mode you want.

    Sound settings in Control Centre on Mac. The available Noise Control modes are listed when AirPods Pro or AirPods Max are selected as the output device.

You can also choose the two or three noise-control modes you want to use with the force sensor on your AirPods (ANC) or AirPods Pro, or with the noise control button on your AirPods Max:

  1. With your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max connected to your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings.

  2. Click "Press and hold to cycle between" to select the two or three noise-control modes that you want to cycle between.

    AirPods Pro settings in System Settings on Mac.

Find out what to do if Active Noise Cancellation isn’t working as expected on your AirPods Pro.

Turn off noise control

  1. With your AirPods connected to your device, go to Settings > your AirPods on iPhone or iPad. On Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then choose your AirPods.

  2. For AirPods Pro 2 paired with compatible devices,* enable the setting called Off Listening Mode, which allows you to turn off all noise control technology.

  3. Under Noise Control, select Off. For AirPods Pro 2 on compatible devices, turning off Noise Control also disables Hearing Protection features.

* Compatible devices include iPhone with iOS 18.1 or later, iPad with iPadOS 18.1 or later, or a Mac computer with macOS Sonoma 15.1 or later.

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