Apple is adding adaptive audio to AirPods Pro

Enlarge / Apple is adding machine learning volume-control features to the second-gen AirPods Pro. (credit: Apple)

CUPERTINO, Calif.—At WWDC 2023 today, Apple announced that it will be adding adaptive audio, combining active noise cancellation and transparency modes based on the noises in the wearer's environment, to the second-generation AirPods Pro. This and a couple of other machine learning-based features are coming this fall via a software update.

Apple touted the upcoming Adaptive Audio update as a way to use AirPods Pro with fewer distractions. It uses machine learning so it can detect noises you want to block out, like cars honking, but not the ones you want to hear, like someone speaking to you.

Apple will also add what it's calling Personalized Volume, which allows AirPods Pro to make automatic volume adjustments based on how you use the device and "environmental conditions," Apple said.