iOS 27 is About The Make Your AirPods WAY More Useful

AirPods are about to become much more than a convenient pair of wireless earbuds.

With iOS 27, Apple is adding a proper custom equaliser, deeper Siri AI support, new gym-equipment connections, better Find My controls and a completely reorganised AirPods settings area.

Some of these additions are overdue. Rival earbuds have offered custom sound controls for years, while managing AirPods settings on an iPhone has become increasingly messy as Apple has added noise control, hearing-health tools, gestures, translation and accessibility options.

Others point towards where Apple wants to take AirPods next. In particular, Siri AI and heart-rate sharing push AirPods closer to becoming a wearable computer that happens to play music.

There is a catch, of course: not every feature works on every AirPods model.

Here is what iOS 27 changes, which AirPods are expected to support each feature and why any of it matters in normal use.

iOS 27 AirPods Features And Compatibility

These features are still moving through beta software. Apple may change support, wording or menu locations before the public release.

1. AirPods Finally Get A Proper Custom EQ

This is the obvious headline feature.

iOS 27 lets you change how compatible AirPods reproduce low, middle and high frequencies. In normal language, that means you can adjust bass, vocals and treble instead of accepting the sound profile Apple chose at the factory.

The control sits inside:

Settings > Your AirPods > Audio & Routing > Equalizer > Custom

Apple provides a Recommended setting for its standard tuning and a Custom option for changing the frequency balance yourself.

Early versions use a simple sound graph or frequency controls rather than the intimidating ten-band equaliser you might find in a studio app. That is probably the right choice. Most people do not know what 250Hz or 8kHz means, nor should they need an audio-engineering course to make a podcast easier to hear.

Why Custom EQ Matters

Everyone hears slightly differently. Ear shape, hearing ability, preferred music and even the fit of an ear tip can change how a pair of earbuds sounds.

Apple’s standard tuning aims for a balanced presentation that works across music, films, podcasts and calls. “Works for everyone” is not the same thing as “sounds perfect to you,” though.

Custom EQ gives you some useful options:

• Increase the low end if music sounds thin
• Reduce bass if it overwhelms vocals
• Raise the midrange to make speech and podcasts clearer
• Add more treble if cymbals and fine detail sound dull
• Reduce the high end if a recording sounds sharp or tiring

This could also help people moving from another brand. Sony, Bose, Samsung and many other earbud makers already provide EQ controls in their apps. If you have spent years listening with a warmer or more bass-heavy profile, AirPods can sound a little restrained at first. You can now bring them closer to the sound you already enjoy.

The Biggest Benefit: EQ Should Work Across Apps

Previous iPhone sound controls were fragmented.

Apple Music offered EQ presets, but those settings were tied to Apple Music. Accessibility controls could alter the presentation of supported headphones, but they were designed mainly around hearing needs rather than everyday sound tuning.

The new AirPods EQ is attached to the earbuds. It is meant to affect audio played through them rather than one particular music app.

That matters if you move between Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Netflix, podcasts, games and phone calls. You should not need to recreate the same sound profile in every app.

Which AirPods Get Custom EQ?

Current reports and beta testing point to support for:

• AirPods Pro 3
• AirPods Pro 2
• AirPods 4
• AirPods Max 2

Older AirPods and the original AirPods Max are not currently included in the supported list.

That distinction is important. Installing iOS 27 does not automatically give every AirPods owner the same controls. The earbuds also need compatible hardware and the correct firmware.

Is The EQ Worth Upgrading For?

Not by itself.

Custom EQ is a welcome addition, but it does not change the drivers, microphones, fit or noise cancellation inside your existing AirPods. It can rebalance the sound you already have. It cannot turn an old pair into AirPods Pro 3.

If your current AirPods fit properly, hold a decent charge and sound good to you, keep them. If you were already considering a replacement, custom EQ makes the newer models easier to recommend.

2. Siri AI Makes AirPods A Hands-Free Interface For Your iPhone

AirPods have supported Siri for years. The problem was Siri itself.

Simple commands such as setting a timer, calling someone or changing a song generally worked. Ask anything more complicated and you were likely to receive a web result, an unhelpful answer or the familiar request to continue on your iPhone.

iOS 27’s Siri AI is supposed to change that.

The new assistant can draw on general knowledge, hold a more natural conversation and use personal context from information available on your device. AirPods become the quickest way to speak to that system while your phone remains in your pocket.

What Could You Actually Do With It?

The practical uses are less about chatting with an AI and more about completing small jobs without stopping what you are doing.

For example, you could ask Siri to:

• Find the address from a message someone sent earlier
• Tell you when you need to leave for an appointment
• Summarise an email while you are walking
• Find a recipe and talk you through the next step
• Check a flight or booking saved in your email
• Add several related items to a reminder
• Explain an unfamiliar term from a podcast
• Send a message using details from the conversation you just had
• Answer a follow-up question without making you repeat the whole subject

AirPods are well suited to this because they already sit in your ears, contain microphones and can summon Siri without touching the phone.

Why Personal Context Matters

A standard voice assistant can answer “What time does the supermarket close?”

A personal assistant should be able to answer “What time does the place Sarah sent me close?” That requires it to work out who Sarah is, find the relevant conversation, identify the business and then check the closing time.

That is the gap Apple is trying to close.

If it works reliably, Siri AI will make AirPods useful during moments when looking at a screen is inconvenient: walking, cooking, carrying shopping, travelling or using gym equipment.

The Limitations

Siri AI processing is tied largely to the iPhone, not the AirPods themselves. You therefore need a compatible Apple Intelligence iPhone nearby.

Apple’s support currently includes iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 family or later compatible models. Availability can also depend on language, country and whether Apple has released the feature publicly in that region.

The other caveat is trust. For hands-free Siri to be useful, it needs permission to work with messages, email, calendars, reminders and other personal information. Apple is leaning heavily on on-device processing and its privacy controls, but users still need to decide which access they are comfortable granting.

Follow our iOS 27 guide for more on Siri AI, release dates, supported iPhones and new feature updates.

3. AirPods Pro 3 Can Connect Heart-Rate Data To Gym Equipment

AirPods Pro 3 contain a heart-rate sensor. With iOS 27, Apple is putting that sensor to better use through GymKit.

GymKit has traditionally connected an Apple Watch to supported treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals and other cardio equipment. The machine shares information such as distance, pace and incline, while the Apple Watch contributes heart-rate and personal fitness data.

iOS 27 expands that setup to the iPhone and AirPods Pro 3.

You tap the iPhone against a compatible treadmill, choose an Indoor Walk or Indoor Run, and begin the session. The AirPods send your heart-rate reading to the treadmill. The gym machine sends distance, pace, incline and estimated calorie information back to the Fitness app on the iPhone.

Why This Is Better Than Recording On The Phone Alone

An iPhone can estimate movement, but it does not know exactly what a treadmill is doing.

The treadmill knows:

• The speed of its belt
• The distance travelled
• The current incline
• Changes made during the workout

AirPods Pro 3 know your heart rate. The iPhone holds your health profile and stores the workout.

Combining those sources should give you a much better record than asking one device to estimate everything.

The Real Benefit: You May Not Need An Apple Watch

This is aimed squarely at people who exercise but do not want to wear a smartwatch.

Perhaps you prefer a mechanical watch. Maybe you dislike sleeping with a computer strapped to your wrist. Or perhaps you already paid for AirPods Pro 3 and do not fancy spending several hundred more on an Apple Watch.

For supported indoor workouts, the AirPods and iPhone can cover much of the basic tracking job.

They do not replace an Apple Watch everywhere. An Apple Watch has a screen, GPS, broader workout modes and many more health sensors. But if most of your training happens on compatible gym equipment, AirPods Pro 3 become a far more credible fitness accessory.

Privacy At The Gym

According to reports from early testing, workout information is stored on the iPhone and removed from the gym equipment after the session.

That distinction matters. Nobody wants their health data left sitting on a treadmill used by hundreds of strangers.

What You Need

This feature requires:

• AirPods Pro 3
• An iPhone running iOS 27
• Current AirPods firmware
• Gym equipment that supports Apple’s GymKit connection

The last requirement may be the sticking point. GymKit machines are not universal, and equipment support varies widely between gyms.

4. Apple Watch Can Help You Find AirPods Pro 3 More Precisely

Find My can already show the location of supported AirPods, play a sound and help locate separated earbuds or their case.

With watchOS 27, Apple is bringing Precision Finding for AirPods Pro 3 to compatible Apple Watch models. Instead of opening Find My on your phone, you can use the watch to get directional help towards the missing earbuds.

What Precision Finding Does

A normal Bluetooth locator can tell you that an item is nearby. Precision Finding is more useful. It can provide distance and directional guidance, effectively turning the watch into a small compass pointing towards the missing item.

That is handy when your AirPods are:

• Buried under a sofa cushion
• Left inside a coat pocket
• Hidden in a gym bag
• Sitting somewhere in a dark bedroom
• Lost among several rooms at home

Playing a sound is not always enough, especially if the case is muffled by clothes or the room is noisy.

Why Using The Watch Is Better

The iPhone is often the device you would normally use to locate another Apple product. A watch is faster because it is already on your wrist.

It also helps in the slightly ridiculous situation where you know your AirPods are nearby but have also put down your phone somewhere else.

The improved Find My organisation in watchOS 27 brings people, devices and items into a more consistent experience, so locating AirPods should require less hunting through separate sections.

You will need AirPods Pro 3 and a compatible Apple Watch containing the necessary Ultra Wideband hardware. Our Find My guide explains the wider tracking system and how to set it up.

5. AirPods Settings Are Finally Being Cleaned Up

AirPods started as simple earbuds. Their settings reflected that.

Over time, Apple added Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, automatic noise control, Conversation Awareness, gesture controls, hearing tests, hearing assistance, Live Translation, Spatial Audio and more. All those controls were pushed into an increasingly long settings page.

iOS 27 reorganises the AirPods area into separate sections and tabs.

Depending on the connected model, you can expect clearer areas for:

• Audio and routing
• Noise-control modes
• Controls and gestures
• Hearing health
• Live Translation
• Accessibility
• Find My
• Apple app connections
• Model, firmware and device information
• Ear-tip or acoustic-seal testing on Pro models

Why A Settings Redesign Matters

This sounds less exciting than AI or heart-rate tracking, but it may improve AirPods every day.

A feature is not much use if people cannot find it. AirPods now do enough that one enormous list is no longer workable, especially when controls change depending on which model is connected.

The new organisation should make common jobs easier:

• Checking what a press-and-hold gesture does
• Changing noise cancellation
• Finding the new EQ
• Running an ear-tip fit test
• Checking firmware information
• Managing hearing tools
• Seeing which features your model supports

It also suggests Apple knows AirPods have outgrown their position as a small submenu inside iPhone Settings. A dedicated AirPods app would make sense eventually, although Apple has not confirmed one.

Do You Need To Install AirPods Firmware Separately?

AirPods features usually depend on two pieces of software:

1. iOS on the connected iPhone
2. Firmware running on the AirPods

Updating the iPhone alone may not make every new control appear immediately. The AirPods need the matching firmware as well.

For normal public releases, AirPods firmware installs automatically while the earbuds are charging, within Bluetooth range of a Wi-Fi-connected iPhone, iPad or Mac. Apple does not provide the same obvious “Install Now” button used for iPhone updates.

You can check the installed version by connecting the AirPods and opening:

Settings > Bluetooth > Your AirPods > Info

The exact path may change under iOS 27’s redesigned AirPods pages.

Unless you are testing software for a reason, do not install beta firmware merely to get these features early. Earbud firmware is less convenient to roll back than an ordinary app, and beta releases can include connection, battery or volume bugs.

Which Upgrade Will People Notice Most?

Most Noticeable Every Day: Custom EQ

Music, podcasts, films and calls can all sound closer to your preference. It is simple, obvious and does not require you to change how you use AirPods.

Biggest Long-Term Change: Siri AI

If Apple’s assistant works as promised, AirPods become a far more useful hands-free control for the iPhone. This has the greatest potential, but it also carries the most conditions around device support, language, region and reliability.

Best For Fitness: GymKit And Heart Rate

AirPods Pro 3 owners can collect better indoor workout data without buying an Apple Watch. It is genuinely useful, provided their gym has compatible machines.

Best Quality-Of-Life Fix: New Settings

It will not sell many pairs of AirPods, but it should make all their increasingly numerous features easier to understand and use.

Best For Forgetful Owners: Watch-Based Precision Finding

If you regularly misplace a case around the house, directional guidance from your wrist could save a surprising amount of time.

Should You Buy New AirPods For iOS 27?

Probably not if your current pair still works well.

iOS 27 makes supported AirPods better, but most of the changes are software additions rather than reasons to throw away functioning hardware.

Consider upgrading if:

• Your current AirPods battery no longer lasts through normal use
• You want Active Noise Cancellation and currently use standard AirPods
• You specifically want custom EQ on an unsupported model
• You want heart-rate tracking from AirPods Pro 3
• Hearing-health features matter to you
• Your present earbuds fit poorly or have connection problems

Keep what you have if:

• Battery life remains good
• You already like the sound
• Siri AI and fitness tracking do not interest you
• Your model receives the iOS 27 feature you care about
• You would be upgrading only to access a settings redesign

If sound quality is your only complaint, first make sure the speakers are clean and the ear tips fit properly. Our guide to fixing muffled AirPods covers the common causes. You can also check our AirPods battery guide before deciding the battery has worn out.

When Will The New AirPods Features Arrive?

Apple plans to release iOS 27 as a free software update in autumn 2026. Matching AirPods firmware should arrive around the public release.

Developer and public beta builds are already being tested, but individual features may arrive later, change during testing or remain limited by language and region. Siri AI is especially dependent on Apple’s staged rollout.

The safest approach is to wait for the public iOS 27 release and then confirm that your exact AirPods and iPhone combination supports the feature you want.

Bottom Line

iOS 27 does not reinvent AirPods. It fixes several obvious weak spots and gives Apple’s newest earbuds more jobs.

Custom EQ is embarrassingly late, but it will make compatible AirPods sound better to more people. The redesigned settings area makes an increasingly complicated product easier to control. GymKit gives AirPods Pro 3 owners a way to record better indoor workouts without an Apple Watch, while improved Find My support makes lost earbuds easier to recover.

Siri AI is the bigger bet. If Apple gets it right, AirPods could become the most natural way to use an iPhone without looking at it. If Siri remains unreliable, it will be another impressive demonstration that people quickly stop using.

For now, the EQ is the safest win. It solves a real problem, works across the audio you already listen to and gives AirPods owners something rival earbuds have had for far too long.