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.
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.