A new feature could be coming to the first generation of AirPods Pro.
David Phelan
The Apple AirPods Pro are now in their second generation model, with new features and important improvements. But one of these, surprisingly, could also make it to the first-generation headphones.
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That’s according to first-generation AirPods Pro owners who have installed the iOS 16.1 beta on their iPhones.
Adaptive Transparency is one of the highlights of the second generation of AirPods Pro (although there are many), and it strives to do something revolutionary: make real people sound better.
Of course, we’re used to brilliant noise cancellation in the first-generation AirPods Pro, although it’s certainly improved on the new model, but what about when you need to hear the outside world?
For example, if you’re at a coffee shop and you need to hear them call your name when your drink is ready, but you don’t want to stop listening to music while you wait. For that, you would switch to transparency mode.
In the new AirPods Pro, that’s Adaptive Transparency, which works through processing that takes place 48,000 times per second to adjust for harsh ambient noise. It works well, making harsh noises a little more bearable, although they don’t go away entirely.
All very well, but then came this surprise.
People using the latest beta version of iOS, namely iOS 16.1 beta 3, are finding that they can also access Adaptive Transparency.
Which is interesting because Apple has said that this feature comes about because of the H2 processor, which the original AirPods Pro didn’t have.
For this feature to appear, you need the latest AirPods beta software, which is called build 5A304a.
Of course, it’s still possible that this is just a bug, and it’s unclear at this stage if that’s it and access will be gone again before iOS 16.1 hits general release. But if not, it could mean a real upgrade for original AirPods Pro users without them having to spend a penny.
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