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Apple Reveals New Head Gestures Coming to AirPods Pro Later This Year

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Apple today announced a few new features coming to AirPods Pro later this year, centering on a new ability to use head gestures in order to control the AirPods Pro. With this feature, you can nod your head up and down, or shake it left to right, in order to answer or decline a call.

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In addition to interacting with a phone call, users will be able to use Siri Interactions to respond to messages, manage notifications, and more.

There's also a new Voice Isolation feature coming to AirPods Pro that removes loud background noise around you, so that the person on the other end of a call can hear you clearly. Apple also said personalized spatial audio is expanding to gaming on tvOS this year.

Finally, AirPods users will gain access to a Personalized Spatial Audio feature with dynamic head tracking that boosts gaming experiences on connected Apple devices. This will be available on AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

Apple said that all of these features will arrive this fall.

Article Link: Apple Reveals New Head Gestures Coming to AirPods Pro Later This Year
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/10/head-gestures-airpods-pro-later-this-year/
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I don’t get this. AirPods Pro has voice isolation for years. Why does it say this?

“There's also a new Voice Isolation feature coming to ‌AirPods Pro‌ that removes loud background noise around you”
 
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The Bragi Dash wireless buds had this feature (and more) almost 10 years ago. This might tempt me to get AirPods in the future (v4)...
 
Clever, but I fear that now that people have finally accepted the idea of someone with earbuds talking to themselves shaking your head out of the blue is gonna make you look more unhinged than talking to yourself ever did
 
How will it handle my head bobbing while I’m listening to music and then receive a call? Sounds like the potential for a lot of accidental answers…
 
TwoBytes said:
I don’t get this. AirPods Pro has voice isolation for years. Why does it say this?

“There's also a new Voice Isolation feature coming to ‌AirPods Pro‌ that removes loud background noise around you”
Click to expand...
I was a bit confused about that, too. I've been using that feature for ages...
 
TwoBytes said:
I don’t get this. AirPods Pro has voice isolation for years. Why does it say this?

“There's also a new Voice Isolation feature coming to ‌AirPods Pro‌ that removes loud background noise around you”
Click to expand...

WilliamG said:
I was a bit confused about that, too. I've been using that feature for ages...
Click to expand...


I know it says it in control center but I don't think it actually worked with AirPods. I get people commenting on background noise all the time on AirPods, when I switch direct to phone it's far better.
 
CarAnalogy said:
I know it says it in control center but I don't think it actually worked with AirPods. I get people commenting on background noise all the time on AirPods, when I switch direct to phone it's far better.
Click to expand...
It absolutely, definitely works. I can literally be doing dishes and nobody hears anything compared to when the feature is off. I thoroughly tested it!
 
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TwoBytes said:
I don’t get this. AirPods Pro has voice isolation for years. Why does it say this?

“There's also a new Voice Isolation feature coming to ‌AirPods Pro‌ that removes loud background noise around you”
Click to expand...
It’s probably meant for the Adaptive noise cancelling mode. If I’m using AirPods Pro on the subway (which, honestly, of course I am), the trains can have loud screeching at times. Adaptive doesn’t reduce those noises enough for me to use it as default, but it’s hard to hear station announcements on full noise cancellation. Having Adaptive work more like full noise cancellation but still let voice through would be very helpful for public transit.
 
I thought it already had noise isolation? Or did I Mandela Effect my way into this universe? Maybe it’s just improved?

The head shaking thing is a cool tech demo, but in practice I imagine it will be like the finger tapping on Apple Watch: not used much in practice. Especially if it’s only for incoming calls. I never have incoming calls. It’s 2024.
 
macduke said:
I thought it already had noise isolation? Or did I Mandela Effect my way into this universe? Maybe it’s just improved?

The head shaking thing is a cool tech demo, but in practice I imagine it will be like the finger tapping on Apple Watch: not used much in practice. Especially if it’s only for incoming calls. I never have incoming calls. It’s 2024.
Click to expand...
You know, I don’t think it had noise isolation, unless that’s what the adaptive mode is supposed to be. But the adaptive mode currently just feels like a compromise between noise cancellation and transparency. If it can reduce (voice frequency) background noises while letting voice through (computational audio), then it would be sweet.

As for incoming calls, I actually get relevant calls fairly often (mostly for work related reasons). Rarely when I’m out in public (though, much to my annoyance, it did happen after hours today, got a call on Teams). I’m not sure just how useful these head gestures will be (though it’ll probably be better than telling Siri to hang up!), I’ll have to see how they actually work in practice
 
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kc9hzn said:
You know, I don’t think it had noise isolation, unless that’s what the adaptive mode is supposed to be. But the adaptive mode currently just feels like a compromise between noise cancellation and transparency. If it can reduce (voice frequency) background noises while letting voice through (computational audio), then it would be sweet.

As for incoming calls, I actually get relevant calls fairly often (mostly for work related reasons). Rarely when I’m out in public (though, much to my annoyance, it did happen after hours today, got a call on Teams). I’m not sure just how useful these head gestures will be (though it’ll probably be better than telling Siri to hang up!), I’ll have to see how they actually work in practice
Click to expand...

That said, I usually use AirPods Max during the work day, especially in the office. Apple really needs to give the AirPods Max some update love (USB-C but also all of the AirPods Pro 2 features), they’re starting to look a little neglected. For transit, there really is no beating the AirPods Pro, but, for extended stationary use, I strongly prefer overears.
 
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Head gestures can be really useful in certain situations. The new voice isolation is also good.
 
MrSimmo said:
At least we’ll only look slightly mental, nodding and shaking heads at seemingly random times in public…
Click to expand...
I just want to know if there will be the Indian style side to side head shake?!

Nod: answer call
Shake: decline call
Bobble: take call if not spam... or...
Chucky head spin: hunt and kill caller...
 
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