I’m a very big AirPods fan.I use my AirPods Pro 2 all day, every day of the work week.But there’s one AirPods shortcoming that’s my only real complaint, and it involves toggling between noise modes in Control Center.
Fortunately, I’ve found the perfect fix thanks to the Shortcuts app.My AirPods problem: noise mode confusion Let me explain a scenario I encounter often, that you may be able to relate to.I’m wearing my AirPods Pro, but I’m not totally sure which noise mode I’m in.
This didn’t used to be as much of an issue when there were only two modes available: Transparency and Noise Cancellation.Those two are fairly easy to tell apart.Though I’ll admit there are times I’m home alone and find myself uncertain.
Adaptive Audio, however, has made me way less aware of which noise mode I’m using at any given time.Some people also have the “Off” mode enabled, which can throw another layer of confusion into the mix.My problem is simple.
Most of the time I like to be in noise cancelling mode.And when I want noise cancellation enabled, but I’m not sure which mode I’m currently using, the available options to address this are clunky.Standard options for noise mode changes aren’t good enough Apple offers both hardware and software options to enable noise cancellation.
The hardware solution: AirPods Pro 2 let you squeeze the tip of an AirPod to cycle between two or more noise modes.But if I’m already using noise cancelling without realizing it, I’ll find myself having to make multiple switches before being assured that noise cancellation is enabled.For software: iOS lets you toggle noise modes from Control Center or the Settings app.
Both options, however, require more taps than necessary.I imagine most people use Control Center for this task.But here’s what that process looks like: Open Control Center Long-press on the volume slider At this point you can see which noise mode is enabled.
If it’s the mode you want, then you’re done.But if it’s not, you then have to: tap the noise mode to view all options Tap the mode you actually want Then tap again to exit the noise mode screen And tap again to exit Control Center This is way more cumbersome than it needs to be.Using the Settings app isn’t a great alternative, since on any occasion you might be buried several screens deep into other menus and it’d be a pain to get back to the AirPods settings.
So what’s the solution? A simple combination of the Shortcuts app and Control Center.The solution: Shortcuts-powered custom Control Center buttons Thanks to the Shortcuts app and iOS 18’s more customizable Control Center, you can now build custom toggles to automatically enable Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, or Adaptive Audio with a single tap.Shortcuts can do all kinds of powerful, crazy things.
But sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest.I’ve found that best solution with this simple shortcut.Using the Set Noise Control Mode action, I’ve set up a shortcut that immediately enables Active Noise Cancellation.
Then, I added that shortcut to Control Center.Control Center lets you create custom controls to trigger any shortcut you want.So I now have a Control Center button that immediately turns on noise cancellation for my AirPods Pro.
If noise cancelling was already enabled, it stays on.If it wasn’t, the control turns it on.I open Control Center and it’s one quick tap.
This is a much better option than the status quo of what Apple offers.Depending on your needs, you could set up separate shortcuts for every different noise mode, then give each mode its own button in Control Center.It would kind of be like if Apple offered dedicated AirPods controls in Control Center.
For me, just having one for noise cancellation is all I need.And it solves the one issue I’ve had with my AirPods.Do you use the Shortcuts app to set your AirPods noise mode? Let us know in the comments.
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AirPods Pro 2 (now only $169, down from $249)
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AirFly SE for connecting AirPods to in-flight headphone jacks
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