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How to know if noise canceling is working on AirPods pro

As an AirPods Pro owner, I was frustrated by the lack of information out there on how to tell if the noise-cancelling feature was working or not. After doing some research, I’m here to share how I solved the problem and what other solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing how to know if noise canceling is working on AirPods Pro.

You can see whether or not the AirPods pro are using transparent or noise-canceling mode on your iOS device. If you are using a MacBook, while the airpods are connected to the MacBook, you can click on the little AirPods symbol on the top right on the menu bar. If you are using an iPhone or iPad, you can click on the “i” icon next to the AirPods on the Bluetooth settings and it will tell you if the noise-canceling mode is turned on there.

Key Takeaways and tips:

  • You can tell if noise cancelation is working on AirPods Pro by checking the Bluetooth settings on your iOS device or MacBook, or by squeezing the stem until you hear a beep sound.
  • To make sure that noise cancelation is working properly, try using a noise source and then activating noise cancelation mode.
  • If you are not getting much noise cancelation, try larger ear tips or do a fit test with an iOS device.

How to know if noise canceling is working on AirPods pro

To turn on noise-canceling, you just need to hold down on the stem of the AirPods for a few seconds until you hear a downward beep sound. If you hear an upward beep sound, that is the sound that tells you transparency mode has been turned on.

When the noise canceling turn on, you should hear a lot less of the sounds going on around you.

To make sure that it is working properly, try turning on some ambient noise on your computer or another phone, then activate noise-canceling mode.

If you do not hear a lot less of the ambient noise when the noise-canceling turns on, it might be the case that your AirPods are faulty or you are not using a large enough ear tip and it would help to try some larger ear tips.

To tell if you have the correct fit, you can do the fit test using an iOS device.

You can purchase larger ear tips directly from Apple or you can buy some memory foam ear tips on Amazon.

As mentioned above, you can also look on your Mac, iPhone or iPad to see if the noise canceling mode is activated.

If it is activated and you are not getting much noise canceling, the best option would be to try changing the ear tips.

The good news is that these angled tips are easy to change. You simply snap them into place rather than mashing them down over the stem as you have to do with other ear tip covers. 

Even though Android phones don’t have the fit test feature, you can determine that just as well on your own

AirPods
AirPods

DIY Fit Test

You can just eyeball the ear tips to see which is small, large, and medium, but if you’re not sure, just unroll the edge of each and you will see S, M, and L.

Start with the medium one and insert it in your ear canal so you have a comfortable and secure fit. If it doesn’t sit right, try adjusting it with a slight twist, If it still doesn’t sit right, it may be too small. Try large. If medium feels uncomfortable try small. 

Read more: What happens if you don’t put AirPods in the case?

How to activate noise canceling on AirPods pro

While the AirPods are charged, you can activate noise canceling mode by squeezing the stem for about 2 seconds until you hear a beep sound.

When this happens, you should find that the sound around you becomes a lot less noticeable.

You can also activate noise canceling mode using your Mac, iPhone or iPad by clicking on the AirPods in the Bluetooth settings.

Read more: How to connect AirPods to a Bluetooth TV?

Why is my noise-canceling not working on AirPods pro?

If your AirPods are only canceling noise a little bit, the most likely cause is that you are not using a large enough ear tip and it would help to try a larger ear tip.

Alternatively, it might be the case that noise-canceling is not activated or your AirPods are not charged.

If the noise-canceling still does not work, it might be the case that you have faulty AirPods and your best option would be to take them into an Apple Store.

How Do AirPods Cancel Noise

Active noise cancellation (ANC) and its toggle partner transparency mode are two of the features that make the Airpod Pro superior to its predecessor the AirPod.

When in noise cancellation mode an outward-facing microphone detects sounds in the outside world and constantly adjusts in order to electronically counteract them.

According to Apple, this process can involve dynamic adjustments occurring at the rate of 200 per second.

Meanwhile, an inward-facing microphone listens for internal sounds so the AirPod Pro can counter it with anti-noise 

ProsCons
Easy to activate noise cancellation with a simple press of the stemYou have to wear the correct size ear tips
Significant reduction in background noiseCan be a bit expensive compared to other ANC headphones
Comfortable fit with adjustable ear tipsBattery life not as good as some alternatives
High quality audio with wide frequency range
Long battery life