GoKawiilA new Listening Mode setting lets users more easily adjust how much ambient noise their AirPods can allow through in Adaptive mode. Here are the details.
Adaptive mode’s intensity options get easier to use
After a relatively uneventful iOS 27 beta 2, Apple released iOS 27 beta 3 today, containing several additions, changes, and previously unannounced features.
One of them, as spotted by Aaron Perris on X, is a new way to adjust the AirPods’ Adaptive mode:
New in iOS 27 beta 3:
AirPods Adaptive Audio slider in the audio mode picker pic.twitter.com/om1dFuy2He — Aaron (@aaronp613) July 6, 2026
If you’re not familiar with the AirPods’ Adaptive mode, here’s how Apple describes it:
Adaptive mode blends Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode together to control the level of noise you hear in your headphones based on the changing noise conditions in your environment. You can customize Adaptive Audio to allow more or less noise.
Currently, to adjust the Adaptive Audio intensity, users need to go to Settings > Bluetooth , and then tap the i button next to their connected AirPods. Then, under Audio, they will find an Adaptive Audio slider, where they can move it “left or right to adjust the amount of ambient noise allowed into your AirPods when in Adaptive mode,” per Apple’s official support article.
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