What’s new for AirPods in iOS 27
Apple is gearing up to add a few new major features to AirPods in iOS 27, including one feature that Apple fans have been requesting for years. Here’s what you can expect.
The new iOS 27 developer beta is out, and it’s given us a sneak peek into what Apple’s got in the works. These new updates include the oft-requested customizable EQ, expanded Find My options, and even a major improvement to how you manage your AirPods settings within iOS itself.
We’ll show you what new features are in the pipeline, how they work, and when you can expect them to come to your favorite earbuds.
Adjustable EQ
AirPods users have been clamoring for customizable EQ for years now, and it looks like Apple’s gearing up to give the people what they want. In iOS 27, Apple will allow you to customize your EQ to your liking.
If you’re already on the developer beta, you can test it out now, provided you have AirPods with an H2 chip. Here’s how you can do it.
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone
- Open Settings
- Tap your AirPods
- Tap Audio and Routing
- Tap Equalizer
From here, you can adjust sliders for the lows, mids, and highs. While testing, iPhone will play your last listened track, allowing you to dial in your settings with music you already know and enjoy.
Redesigned Settings
While Apple still hasn’t given AirPods their own dedicated app, it has expanded the AirPods settings submenu.
Whenever AirPods are connected to your iPhone, they appear at the top of your Settings app. Before, this panel could be a little bit of a chore to swipe through.
The new redesign brings the AirPods settings more in line with what you see elsewhere in Settings. This includes grouping settings under easy-to-read labels instead of requiring you to scroll through a single, long page.
Precision Finding on Apple Watch
This year, Apple has finally consolidated all of the Find My features on Apple Watch into a single app. This means that you can easily use your Apple Watch to track down your missing AirPods Pro without needing your iPhone nearby.
This is perfect for those of us who might have a cellular Apple Watch and, say, wear our AirPods Pro to the gym while leaving our iPhone at home. Just head into the Find My app, tap on AirPods Pro; your Apple Watch will help precisely guide you to your AirPods Pro.
Heart Rate Sync
AirPods Pro 3 introduced heart rate tracking to the lineup. This was great, in theory, if you were exclusively tracking your heart rate in Apple’s Fitness app.
However, one standout feature of the Apple Watch was that you could connect it to gym equipment and share your heart rate directly with the machine. Unfortunately, this was not the case for the AirPods Pro 3.
Now, provided the gym equipment supports GymKit, you can share your heart rate via the AirPods Pro 3. Of course, at this point, GymKit support has been somewhat limited, so this feature may still not be the easiest to take advantage of.
Currently in developer beta only
As stated above, these features are currently only in the developer beta. However, Apple will be releasing these to the public beta eventually, and these features should be released to everyone in September.
If you are in the developer beta, or if you’re watching after these features have been pushed to the public beta, head to Settings and scroll to the bottom. There will be an option to opt in to beta updates.
Once selected, updates will automatically come to your AirPods when they’re sufficiently charged. There is no way to push these updates to happen.
