With each iOS update, Apple adds new features to the AirPods. In iOS 27, the AirPods work with Siri AI, and comes with a customized EQ option that users have long expected.
Apple has delayed the introduction of custom EQs into AirPods for many years, instead requiring users to stick to the company's audio profiles. This is changing in iOS 27, as there are finally adjustable sound settings.
When AirPods are connected to an iPhone running iOS 27 and have the latest software version, users can access the customized EQ via Settings > [AirPods name] > Audio & Routing > Equalizer > Custom, with options for adjusting bass, midrange and high tones. This feature is available for AirPods using H2 chips, including AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2.
The installation interface is also streamlined when AirPods connect to iPhone. Transparency, Noise Reduction and Adaptation modes are still at the top of the screen for quick switching, but Apple adds a volume slider right in this interface. Options are arranged into separate menus according to logic groups including Audio & Routing, Hearing Health, Controls & Gestures, Live Translation, Accessibility, Battery, Find My and Privacy.
The smarter Siri version, Siri AI, works on AirPods via a connected iPhone. When wearing AirPods, users can ask questions and make requests for Siri AI.
This is not an independent feature on AirPods and requires an iPhone support. Apple is rumored to be developing AirPods integrated with cameras to provide image data for Siri AI, and the current integration is a stepping stone for that deeper feature set.
The AirPods Pro 3's charger is equipped with Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology and works with the Precision Finding feature on iPhone. With iOS 27 and watchOS 27 updates, users can also use Apple Watch for the Precision Finding feature of AirPods Pro 3. GymKit feature works with iPhone in iOS 27, it can synchronize heart rate data collected from AirPods Pro 3 to gym devices such as treadmill and indoor bicycles.
Apple added the Name Recognition feature in iOS 27, helping deaf or hearing impaired users be alerted if someone calls their name. This feature works with AirPods' Hearing Health options and supports more than 50 languages worldwide.
Some new features require the H2 chip, but for Siri AI, users need an iPhone compatible with Apple Intelligence. Precision Finding and GymKit features are limited to AirPods Pro 3 only.
New features require iOS 27 and AirPods software to be updated. Developers now have access, and Apple is expected to release a public beta in July. iOS 27 will be released in September along with new iPhone models.
