Linked List: September 29, 2022

Thursday, 29 September 2022

iOS 16.1 Beta Brings Adaptive Transparency to Original AirPods Pro ★

Speaking of AirPods Pro, MacRumors also has a story today that first-generation AirPods Pro will be getting the new adaptive transparency mode with iOS 16.1, which is still in beta. This was announced during the keynote event this month as a feature for the second-generation AirPods Pro. Here’s how Apple describes the feature in the Settings app (where you can toggle it):

When Adaptive Transparency is enabled and you’re wearing both AirPods Pro, loud sounds you are exposed to will automatically be reduced.

I’ve been testing the new AirPods Pro for a few weeks now, and adaptive transparency is my favorite feature. As promised, full-on noise cancellation is much-improved with the second-gen AirPods Pro, but I’ve hardly used noise cancellation with them because adaptive transparency is so damn good for my typical scenario, walking around the city while listening to podcasts.

I’ll be interested to see (well, hear) how well the feature works on the first-gen models.

Update 4 October: Turns out it was just a bug that the Adaptive Transparency toggle was enabled for first-gen AirPods Pro. Makes sense — according to Apple, the feature requires the brand-new H2 chip.

2nd-Gen AirPods Pro Case Engravings Appear in iOS During Pairing and Connecting ★

Sami Fathi, reporting for MacRumors:

Apple allows customers to personalize their AirPods Pro charging case with a special engraving that can include select emojis and Memojis. Unlike before, starting with the second-generation AirPods Pro, that engraving is now reflected on the digital case on iOS as a user pairs and connects their AirPods Pro.

What a cool little feature. It’s not just hardware meeting software, but hardware and software meeting operations and the supply chain. Just for a little fun.