With every iOS update, Apple adds new features to the AirPods. In iOS 27, the AirPods work with Siri AI, and there's a long-requested custom EQ option.

Custom EQ

Apple resisted custom EQ for the AirPods for years, preferring to require users to stick with Apple's sound profiles. That's changing in ‌iOS 27‌, and there are finally adjustable equalizer settings.

When the AirPods are connected to an iPhone running ‌iOS 27‌ and have the latest firmware, custom EQ can be accessed by going to Settings > [AirPods Name] > Audio & Routing > Equalizer > Custom.

There are options for adjusting lows, mids, and highs.

Custom EQ is available for AirPods with an H2 chip, which includes the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2.

Redesigned Settings Menu

There's a more compact settings interface available when the AirPods are connected to an iPhone. It's still located under Settings > AirPods, but all of the AirPods features are better organized and easier to get to.

The Transparency, Noise Cancellation, and Adaptive modes are still accessible at the top of the screen for quick switching, but Apple also added a volume slider for adjusting sound in the same interface.

Instead of expanded menus for Hearing Health, Call Controls, and gestures, the options are organized into separate menus. Apple has logically aggregated controls into categories that include Audio & Routing, Hearing Health, Controls & Gestures, Live Translation, Accessibility, Battery, Find My, and Privacy.

Siri AI

The smarter version of ‌Siri‌, ‌Siri‌ AI, works on the AirPods through a connected iPhone. When you're wearing AirPods, you can ask ‌Siri‌ AI questions and make requests.

‌Siri‌ AI isn't a standalone feature on the AirPods, and it requires an iPhone that supports it. ‌Siri‌ AI has a long list of new capabilities, which are outlined in our Siri guide. Apple is rumored to be developing AirPods with cameras that will feed visual data to ‌Siri‌ AI, and the current integration is a precursor to that deeper feature set.

Precision Finding

The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ charging case features Ultra Wideband (UWB), and it works with Precision Finding on the iPhone. With the update to ‌iOS 27‌ and watchOS 27, you can also use an Apple Watch for ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ Precision Finding.

GymKit Syncing

GymKit works with the iPhone in ‌iOS 27‌, and it can sync heart rate data collected from the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ to gym equipment like treadmills and indoor bikes.

Accessibility

Apple added Name Recognition in ‌iOS 27‌, so users who are deaf or hard of hearing can be alerted if someone says their name. It's a feature that works with the AirPods Hearing Health options, and it supports more than 50 languages globally.

Compatibility

Some of the new AirPods features require an H2 chip, and for ‌Siri‌ AI, you'll need an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone. The Precision Finding and GymKit features are limited to ‌AirPods Pro 3‌.

Launch Date

The new AirPods features require ‌iOS 27‌ and updated AirPods firmware. Developers have access now, and Apple plans to release a public beta in July. ‌iOS 27‌ will launch in September alongside new iPhone models.
This article, "Every New AirPods Feature in iOS 27" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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There are no new AI features in the iOS 27 Weather app, but Apple did make improvements to the layout. It's now easier to see at-a-glance information for weather conditions.

Highlights

The top of the Weather app now has a Highlights section that shows you need-to-know weather information for the day.

Conditions

There are new views for the Conditions section of the main Weather app interface. In addition to viewing temperature and current condition on an hourly basis, you can toggle over to a precipitation or wind view.


Precipitation shows you an hour-by-hour chance of rain forecast, while wind displays a breakdown of wind speed.

10-Day View

The 10-day view also changes when you swap between the different condition options so you can see precipitation and wind overviews for the next 10 days without having to tap into a more detailed view.

Widgets

There's a new extra large size available for Home Screen widgets, which is applicable to the Weather app. You can set the Weather app to take up an entire app page.

More iOS 27 Features

There are a long list of new features in ‌iOS 27‌, with details available in our iOS 27 roundup.
This article, "iOS 27 Weather App: All the New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today released updated beta firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. The firmware is limited to developers at the current time, and it has a build number of 9A5304b.


In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface and support for custom EQ. AirPods are also compatible with the new Siri AI.

With iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe, Apple added a beta firmware update installation option that's available from the AirPods settings interface when the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, which facilitates beta testing.

Developers can use the beta option to turn on beta downloads.
This article, "Apple Releases Updated AirPods Beta Firmware With iOS 27 Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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