There’s nothing more frustrating than having to pause your music every time someone speaks to you. Thankfully, you don’t have to remove your AirPods every few seconds or entirely disable noise cancellation, as Apple offers an advanced solution for second-generation AirPods Pro users.
This feature allows you to engage in conversations while keeping your AirPods Pro in your ears. Although you’re able to enable the Transparency mode by pressing and holding your AirPods stem, the optional Adaptive Audio mode calls for a more convenient solution. Let’s look at it further!
What Is AirPods Pro’s Conversation Awareness Feature?
With the release ofiOS 17, Apple introduced some features to enhance your AirPods Pro listening experience, including Conversation Awareness. Unfortunately, this feature is limited to the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).
As the name suggests, this feature allows an uninterrupted listening experience by automatically lowering the volume of your music once you start speaking, enhancing the voice of the person you’re chatting with while muffling background sounds. Once you’re done chatting, your earbuds automatically return to their normal volume prior to the interruption.
Although we don’t recommend enabling this mode if you’re someone who likes to jam along to music, it works incredibly well when you’re in public settings like on the train or in a busy café.
How to Enable Conversation Awareness on Your AirPods Pro
Before enabling this feature, it’s worth checking if your iPhone or iPad is updated to iOS 17 or iPadOS 17. you’re able to do this by going toSettings > General > Software Update.
Your AirPods Pro must be updated to 6A301 or later. To check this, openSettingsand tap on your paired AirPods Pro at the top below your Apple ID name. Then, scroll down to the bottom. If the value next toVersionis not 6A301 or later,update your AirPodsfirst.
When you’re all set, follow these steps to enable Conversation Awareness:
For quick access, you may also enable Conversation Awareness from the Control Center, which you can access by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen. After connecting your AirPods to your device, long-press the volume slider in the Control Center. Then, tapConversation Awareness, and voilà!
Enjoy an Uninterrupted Listening Experience
While Apple is not the first company to introduce such a feature, it’s certainly an incredible addition that can significantly improve your listening experience with the AirPods Pro.
Besides Adaptive Audio features, Apple lets you quickly mute and unmute yourself on a call by pressing the AirPods Pro’s stem. You can also switch between your devices quicker, thanks to improvements to Automatic Switching.
