Apple Initially Explored Using GPS to Control AirPods Pro Adaptive Audio

[MacRumors]

When Apple introduced second-generation ‌‌AirPods Pro‌, the Adaptive Transparency feature offered a new way to reduce loud environmental noise for more comfortable everyday listening. Adaptive Audio is designed to build on that approach by dynamically blending the existing Transparency and Active Noise Cancellation modes together to deliver the best audio experience in the moment, tailoring the noise control as the user between different environments and interactions.

In this way, Adaptive Audio aims to automatically reduce loud or distracting noises in your surroundings, such as the sound of a leaf blower or a passing plane overhead, while other noises, like the sudden beep of a car horn, remain audible.

• How to Use All the New AirPods Pro Features in iOS 17

In a new interview with TechCrunch, Apple's VP of sensing and connectivity Ron Huang revealed that Apple originally considered using GPS location to inform AirPods Pro of the user's whereabouts and adapt the audio experience accordingly. In real-world testing, however, the method proved inefficient. From the interview:

"During early exploration for Adaptive Audio, we basically put you in ANC versus transparency, based on where you are," says Huang. "You can imagine the phone can give a hint to the AirPods and say, "hey, you're in the house" and so forth. That is a way to do that, but after all our learnings, we don't think that is the right way to do it, and that is not what we did. Of course, your house is not always quiet and the streets are not always loud. We decided that, instead of relying on a location hint from the phone, the AirPods monitor your environment in real time and make those decisions intelligently on their own."

Huang in the interview also returned to the reason why USB-C AirPods Pro can support Lossless Audio with Vision Pro thanks to the updated H2 chip's support for the 5GHz wireless band (second-generation AirPods Pro with a Lightning port only support 2.4GHz):

"Bluetooth typically runs on 2.4 gigahertz, and that airspace is very, very noisy," says Huang. "Everybody's running on 2.4. That's why routers Wi-Fi routers, for example, are typically dual-band if not tri-band, because the 5Ghz spectrum is that much cleaner. To get to really, really low latency audio, and to get to really high fidelity, lossless audio — it's all about a very, very clean and real-time channel between two. The combination of 5Ghz and the fact that they are very proximal allowed us to do that. We're able to basically redesign a brand new audio protocol over the 5Ghz for AirPods."

Elsewhere in the interview, Huang touches on other features that iOS 17 brought to AirPods Pro, including Conversation Awareness, Personalized Audio, and faster device switching. Priced at $249 in the U.S., the updated second-generation AirPods Pro began arriving to customers late last week.

Article Link: Apple Initially Explored Using GPS to Control AirPods Pro Adaptive Audio

 

[jennyp]

"after all our learnings" it seems blindingly obvious that the street may be quiet and your house may be noisy

 

[Lerenard3000]

Waze has different sound depending on the alert… a little sound when something is dangerous on the gps could be useful, or when your bus is nearby, or when a friend is nearby, lack of ideas or lack of money apple? Haha

 

[base08]

So... is this using 5ghz Wifi? Never heard about 5ghz bluetooth...

 

[RedWeasel]

So... is this using 5ghz Wifi? Never heard about 5ghz bluetooth...

I guess this might be using 5 Ghz Something-Else

 

[MuppetGate]

Apple originally considered using GPS location to inform AirPods Pro of the user's whereabouts and adapt the audio experience accordingly. In real-world testing, however, the method proved inefficient.

“Sledgehammer, meet Nut.”

 

[iBluetooth]

I guess this might be using 5 Ghz Something-Else

It's the 5GHz WiFi band, which allows higher data rate

 

[base08]

It's the 5GHz WiFi band, which allows higher data rate

...but as it's as they say super close range to the source (Apple Vision Pro) they can have a super low TX power and keep battery consumption just about as bluetooth LE...

 

[okkibs]

It's just that frequency/Wifi band, the protocol can be identical to Bluetooth, with that focus on low power consumption. Technically it's no longer Bluetooth then as the different frequency and radio makes it incompatible with Bluetooth devices. So at best Apple could bring that over to the iPhones and iPads for better audio quality with Airpods. Seems to be Vision Pro exclusive for now.

"after all our learnings" it seems blindingly obvious that the street may be quiet and your house may be noisy

It does seem obvious, I think it's valid to try out a couple methods and see how it's actually working in practice. At least they're trying different things. With some of Apple's design choices it feels like Tim just said to the engineers "you know what guys, I'd like this to be just a tiny bit different which will inconvenience a lot of our customers but I just like this better" and then we're stuck with The Apple Way.

 

[RedWeasel]

It's the 5GHz WiFi band, which allows higher data rate

What I meant is that they don’t necessarily have to use Wi-Fi (which is a specific set of protocols) nor Bluetooth, at least as far as I understand. Those frequency bands are basically „free to use“.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Sounds like the 5GHz idea was something they could implement in Vision Pro, but was too late to put in iPhone 15s. Presumably we’ll see lossless with iPhone 16.

 

[rxp]

Adapative audio is such a joy for me. I'm sensitive to loud noises and hate traffic. I can now walk busy roads in peace while keeping attention to my surroundings. It's been a joy to use for when you're doing construction type work or when you cook and are randomly releasing steam from a pressure cooker or turn the blender on. It's also fantastic for taking calls - when you hit a loud environment noise is just killed & you know the AI voice focus noise cancelling is keeping you well heard to the other person.

I do wish we got a simple "volume for the world" feature though. Where you can turn down everything by a specific percentage. Bose has this with their 11 levels of ANC on the 700s - but it's a pain to control via the app

The updates we get for the APP2's are increasingly putting the competition so far behind. No one is close to this. And no one can match Spatial Audio's theater experience. Sony have something similar but you're then tied into using it with a Sony TV.

 

[zoomp]

Guys, why don’t you read the article and stick to the facts?

The combination of 5Ghz and the fact that they are very proximal allowed us to do that.

So it’s only possible because the transmitter (vision pro) and the receiver (airpod pro) are basically ONE inch away. They keep a very low (for battery) and clean (5Ghz) and stable (proximity) signal. So, there won’t be this for iPads and iPhones, unless you use your iPad close to your ear like those bricks in Monty Python.

 

[ELman]

Will the affect the range of the AirPods Pro? With my outdated APP2 Lightning Connector Edition I can connect to my phone and go anywhere in my house. Not so sure 5GHz would be able to do this.

 

[jlc1978]

With %GHz capability, it looks like the rumor there was no changes to the AirPod were wrong; although adding 5GHz really has no impact on current users and probably less than 1% of them when the goggles come out.

 

[iBluetooth]

What I meant is that they don’t necessarily have to use Wi-Fi (which is a specific set of protocols) nor Bluetooth, at least as far as I understand. Those frequency bands are basically „free to use“.

Perhaps they use a lower network or transport layer, to decrease the latency when streaming.

 

[bergert]

“Sledgehammer, meet Nut.”

No, EE (electronics engineering) basics (frequency modulation 101):

double the frequency, you have double the data rate and half the latency.

 

[zach-coleman]

"after all our learnings" it seems blindingly obvious that the street may be quiet and your house may be noisy

Also, what if your house is on a busy street? Subway underneath your house? First floor lobby louder than your apartment? I’m kind of shocked they ever seriously considered this in the first place.

 

[jlc1978]

Also, what if your house is on a busy street? Subway underneath your house? First floor lobby louder than your apartment? I’m kind of shocked they ever seriously considered this in the first place.

Just because it failed doesn't mean it wasn't worth trying. It's also possible the research may applicable elsewhere. Companies regularly try lots of things tax don't work and some turn out to be killer products later; just ask 3M.

 

[Analog Kid]

No, EE (electronics engineering) basics (frequency modulation 101):

double the frequency, you have double the data rate and half the latency.

Doubling the frequency doesn't change either of those things. Doubling the bandwidth doubles the data capacity, but so can halving the distance in a low noise channel... There's no indication of the bandwidth Apple is using here. Data rate is some fraction of the capacity given efficiency and modulation limitations, but most significantly channelization choices. Latency is entirely dominated by processing at each node which is mostly a combination of the codec chosen and the radio and data modulations.

 

[svish]

Interesting to know about it. Good article.

 

[t0rqx]

And finding news ways to f up the battery so we upgrade to a newer version or replacement in a short timeframe? No thanks.