If you’ve been holding out on upgrading to AirPods Pro 2, Apple just gave you one more reason to stick with the first-generation earbuds.
As spotted by MacRumors, someone posted on Reddit that the first generation AirPods Pro seem to be getting one of the features that everyone thought Apple was reserving for its second generation Pro earbuds. Apple released the latest developer beta of iOS 16.1 two days ago and it appears to come with a surprise for the original AirPods Pro.
With the latest iOS 16.1 beta, someone posted on Reddit that their first-generation AirPods Pro now featured Adaptive Transparency, something that Apple revealed as a new feature for the second-generation AirPods Pro when it announced the new earbuds earlier this month at its iPhone 14 event.
ios_161b3_adaptive_transparency_is_available_for from r/iOSBeta
The feature was originally just for AirPods Pro 2
Adaptive Transparency, before today, was thought to be a feature reserved for only the second-generation AirPods Pro. If you’re familiar with AirPods Pro, you’re likely aware that the earbuds have supported Transparency Mode, which will bring outside sounds in more clearly. The mode is useful if you have your earbuds on and are trying to hear people around you or need to listen for cars, etc while you’re on a walk or run.
With AirPods Pro 2, Apple announced Adaptive Transparency, which will automatically reduce loud noises around you like “a passing vehicle siren, construction tools, or even loud speakers.”
Transparency mode makes it possible for listeners to stay connected to and aware of the world around them. Now, Adaptive Transparency takes this customer-loved feature even further. The powerful H2 chip enables on-device processing, which reduces loud environmental noise — like a passing vehicle siren, construction tools, or even loud speakers at a concert — for more comfortable everyday listening.
Apple didn’t make mention that the feature would be coming to the first-generation AirPods Pro but, according to the latest iOS 16.1 beta, that seems to be the case. So, if you still have a pair of first-generation AirPods Pro, congrats! You just got an AirPods Pro 2 feature.