AirPods work fine out of the box, but Apple offers several customisation options that can improve the listening experience, and users may not realise how much control they have. On AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro models, pressing and holding the stem switches between listening modes, which can explain unexpected changes in sound if triggered accidentally, and these controls can be adjusted or reassigned via the Settings app.

Within the AirPods settings menu, users can customise the press-and-hold action to cycle between Noise Cancellation, Transparency, Adaptive or Off modes, or set it to summon Siri instead. Additional features include Personalised Volume, Conversation Awareness, Loud Sound Reduction and Personalised Spatial Audio, while a built-in hearing test can unlock Hearing Assistance for users with mild to moderate hearing loss. Apple is also set to introduce a Custom EQ feature with iOS 27 this autumn, giving users native control over low, mid and high-frequency tones, with early access available through the iOS 27 beta.