If you have any of Apple’s Bluetooth earbud or headphone offerings that support active noise cancellation and transparency mode, then you already know just how useful these features can seem. On the other hand, these features need to be toggled manually by the end user, which takes some of the ‘magic’ out of them.
Apple reserves iOS’ deep integration for noise cancellation and transparency mode to the company’s own headphone and headset offerings including the AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and even the Beats Studio Buds. But these are far from the only headphone and headset offerings on the market that offer alike or similar features.
Apple device users responded positively to AirPods Pro and their tight integration with the iOS and iPadOS mobile operating systems. More specifically, users appreciated being able to switch listening modes directly from Control Center, which includes Noise Cancellation mode, Normal mode, and Transparency mode.
These features were once exclusive to the AirPods Pro, but fast-forward to today, and those same features can be enjoyed on AirPods Max and even certain Beats headphones like the Beats Studio Buds. One caveat, however, is that users must be running iOS or iPadOS 14.6 or newer to enjoy this functionality with the Beats Studio Buds.
Apple’s AirPods Pro sent a shockwave through the earbud industry when they became some of the first wireless earbuds to support active noise cancellation. Fast-forward to today, and even Apple’s newer AirPods Max over-ear headphones support this feature along with transparency.
But Apple isn’t the only brand pumping out earbuds and headphones with active noise cancellation and features similar to that of the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. Sadly, the company limits iOS’ native controls to the first party audio consumption devices — requiring the use of third party apps to control third party accessories (eww).
It appears that Apple’s upcoming third-generation AirPods will feature a design that’s very similar to the current AirPods Pro model but without one premium feature.
In a sea of loud headphones that leave It up to you to ensure you’re not listening above levels that could damage your hearing over time, the volume-limited PuroPro headphones from Puro Sound Labs will protect your hearing without requiring you to even think about it.
Apple’s AirPods Pro quickly rose to become one of the market’s most popular active noise cancellation-equipped wireless earbuds. Out of the box, they isolate users’ ears from their surroundings via active noise cancellation; and in the event that you need to hear somebody, they support transparency mode, which allows a person’s voice to pass through the AirPods Pro’s microphone and into the user’s ear canal as audio.
One thing worth noting is that when using the AirPods Pro, the user must manually switch between active noise cancelation mode and transparency mode with a gesture when either feature is desired. With that in mind, iOS developer Litten devised a way to make this behavior more autonomous based on the user’s circumstances, and as such, a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called Crystal was born.
The new PuroPro wireless headphones from Puro Sound Labs offer active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5, premium sound quality and a volume-limiting feature to protect your hearing.
Crackling sound and problems with active noise cancellation are currently two major issues that are being increasingly reported by owners of the AirPods Pro earbuds. Following yesterday's release of a new AirPods Pro firmware update, Apple has now issued a pair of support documents that tackle the noise cancellation and crackling audio issues.