This year's Apple WWDC 2023 was a bit of a mixed bag. There was certainly a lot to digest, including a fresh MacBook, new additions to AirPlay and CarPlay, not to mention some big changes to the iOS operating system, but we also saw quite a few things we couldn't quite find room for in our hectic scrolling schedules. (Seriously, who uses Stickers anyway?).
From an audio perspective, one of the most interesting reveals from the event came in the form of Apple's new Adaptive Audio tech for the AirPods Pro 2. As the name suggests, Adaptive Audio is a sort of hybrid listening experience that gives you a mix of transparency mode and ANC to provide the best of both listening technologies in one place.
That means your AirPods will "dynamically blend" both technologies to take into account external factors. According to Apple, the new mode "seamlessly tailors the noise control experience while users move between environments and interactions that are constantly changing throughout the day". This feels somewhat similar to what we've seen with Bose's five-star QuietComfort II earbuds. Their ActiveSense technology does a similar thing by reducing the impact of especially loud noises that might otherwise interrupt your listening.
Also new is "Conversational Awareness" which drops your music down automatically whenever you start talking. Start chatting for a voice call and Conversation Awareness will reduce background noise, including your own music's volume, in what appears similar to the Speak-To-Chat feature found on the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds. If you're taking a call, your AirPods will actively reduce noise around you.
And you can also press your AirPods' touch controls to mute or unmute yourself quickly on any AirPods Pro or AirPods (3rd Gen) or AirPods Max model. Just press the stem (or Digital Crown on the AirPods Max) to quickly mute or unmute.
There's also a personalised volume mode which harnesses machine learning to deliver a customised listening profile, automatically fine-tuning your experience depending on what you listen to and how you listen to it.
Even better, flitting between Apple devices with new AirPods is easier thanks to Automatic Switching. Says Apple, the connection time between a user’s devices is far faster and more reliable for more effortless changes between, say, music on an iPhone to a work call on a Mac.
Adaptive Audio could be a smart addition to the AirPods Pro 2 when the feature arrives "this fall", but we're surprised there didn't seem to be any mention of it coming to the AirPods Max.
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Read our full Apple AirPods Pro 2 review
