This article explains how to control the noise cancellation feature on Apple's AirPods Pro wireless earbuds. Bear in mind that iOS devices need to be running iOS 13.2 in order to support ‌AirPods Pro‌. You can check that your device is updated by launching the Settings app and going to General -> Software Update.

AirPods Pro

How Active Noise Cancellation Works on AirPods Pro

‌AirPods Pro‌ are Apple's first in-ear headphones with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which is designed to adapt to the shape of your ear and block out the outside world so you can focus on what you're listening to.

When ANC is active, an outward-facing microphone on each earbud detects external sound, which is then countered by corresponding inverted audio frequencies to cancel the sound before it reaches your ears.

Unlike previous generation AirPods, ‌AirPods Pro‌ also come with three sizes of silicone tips for a customizable fit. These tips help to form a seal appropriate for optimizing the ANC feature, so make sure you've chosen the right size for your ears.

AirPods Pro

How to Control Noise Cancellation on AirPods Pro

There are three methods you can use to control the Noise Cancellation feature on ‌AirPods Pro‌. The first method involves using the Force sensors on the AirPods themselves with default settings, while the second and third methods are accessed via onscreen menus on the connected iOS device.

Method 1:

  1. Allow your AirPods to connect to your iPhone or iPad in the usual way, by opening the case next to your device and inserting the buds in your ears.
  2. Press and hold either AirPod Pro stem to cycle between Noise Cancellation and Transparency, the latter of which lets outside sound in.
  3. You'll hear a tone when switching between the two functions.

AirPods Pro
If you want, you can customize the press-and-hold gesture on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ earbuds, and even use it to turn off the noise control features completely. Click here to learn how.

Method 2:

  1. Allow your AirPods to connect to your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ in the usual way, by opening the case next to your device and inserting the buds in your ears.
  2. Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
  3. Tap the name of your ‌AirPods Pro‌, just under your Apple ID banner. Alternatively, tap Bluetooth, then tap the information icon (the circled "i") next to ‌AirPods Pro‌ in the list.
    How to activate noise cancelation airpods pro

  4. Under Noise Control, tap Noise Cancellation, Off, or Transparency, depending on your preference.

Method 3:

  1. Allow your AirPods to connect to your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ in the usual way, by opening the case next to your device and inserting the buds in your ears.
  2. Open Control Center on your iOS device: On an ‌iPad‌ with a Home button, double-tap the Home button; on ‌iPhone‌ 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen; and on a 2018 iPad Pro or ‌iPhone‌ X and later, swipe down from the upper right of the screen.
    airpods pro noise control

  3. Press and hold the Control Center volume bar (a pair of earbuds will be visible inside of it to indicate the ‌AirPods Pro‌ are connected.)
  4. Use the strip of buttons at the bottom of the screen to switch between Noise Cancellation, Off, or Transparency, depending on your preference.

How to Control Noise Cancellation on Mac

If you've got your AirPods connected to a Mac running macOS Catalina, you can also control noise cancelling mode from the volume icon in the menu bar. Simply hover over your ‌AirPods Pro‌ in the Output Device list to reveal a submenu, where you can click Transparency, Noise Cancellation, and Off.

Did you know that ‌AirPods Pro‌ feature an Ear Tip Fit Test to help you choose the right size of eartips for your ears? Click here to learn how it works.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

djcerla Avatar
71 months ago
Shocking how good noise cancellation is on these buds... shocking! This will be an extremely successful product.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Khedron Avatar
71 months ago
Seems pretty desperate for macrumours to make separate articles for every single AirPods Pro setting
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
ipad pro 2024

Gurman: New iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models With M5 Chips to Launch Later This Year

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:06 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...