Learn what to do if you put your AirPods in your ears and it makes a continuous hissing sound even though you’re not playing a song, video, or podcast on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV.
AirPods Pro (all generations), AirPods Max, and AirPods 4 with ANC support Transparency and Noise Cancellation modes.
Newer models like AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 (ANC) also support Adaptive Audio, which is a mix of Noise Cancellation and Transparency.
When enabled, Transparency mode may lead to a constant hissing sound in your ears as it amplifies the sounds around you, including ambient noise.
In theory, it does this so you can hear outside noise without taking the AirPods out of your ears. Transparency mode is particularly useful in situations where you want to let outside sounds reach you while listening to songs or watching videos. I find it particularly helpful when in railway station waiting rooms so I can hear the announcements.
If you’re new to AirPods, this continuous hissing sound may confuse you and even cause discomfort, like mild headaches. Thankfully, turning it off is an easy task. You’ll also notice a different and hopefully improved sound experience after turning off Transparency when listening to music or watching videos.
Stop AirPods hissing noise
Follow these steps to turn off Transparency or Adaptive from Control Center. Note that you can also disable these audio modes directly from your AirPods by touching and holding the stem.
iPhone or iPad
- Turn on ‘Off Listening Mode’ in AirPods Settings. Skip this step if your device is on an older version of iOS.
- Open Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen.
- Touch and hold the volume slider that shows the AirPods icon.
- Tap Listening Mode or Noise Control and turn it Off.
You’ll no longer hear a hissing sound in your ears when wearing AirPods.
Apple Watch
- Open Apple Watch Control Center and if your AirPods are connected to it, you’ll see an AirPods icon there; tap it.
- Select Off under the Listening Mode or Noise Control section.
Mac
- Turn on ‘Off Listening Mode’ in AirPods Settings. Skip this step if your device is on an older version of macOS.
- When AirPods are connected to your Mac, you may see the tiny AirPods icon in the top menu bar; click it. If you don’t see it, click the Control Center icon before the date indicator and then click the arrow in the Sound tile.
- Click the arrow next to the AirPods name to reveal all options.
- Turn off Listening Mode or Noise Control.
Apple TV
- Open tvOS Control Center and swipe to the AirPods tab. You’ll see this only when your wireless pods are connected to your Apple TV.
- Select Off for Listening Mode or Noise Control.
You may have to turn off Noise Control again
Even after you turn off Transparency and reconnect your AirPods to your iPhone, you may notice that Noise Control is re-enabled, even though you didn’t. This is because your iPhone can remember your Noise Control setting for specific apps like Music, TV, etc. So, follow the above steps and turn it off again.
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