iOS 27 Adds New AirPods Features, Several Reserved for AirPods Pro 3

Custom EQ arrives on AirPods for the first time in iOS 27, a feature the report says some users had expected Apple never to ship. Apple states that AirPods are designed and engineered to faithfully represent music, TV shows and movies, and calls, and that users who prefer a different sound profile can now customize how AirPods present any audio played. The option sits in the AirPods settings menu under Audio & Routing, then Equalizer and Custom, where low, mid and high frequencies can be adjusted. Custom EQ is available on AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Max 2, AirPods 5 and AirPods 4.

GymKit, previously limited to Apple Watch, expands in iOS 27 to the iPhone using the AirPods Pro 3's heart rate sensor. 9to5Mac's Zac tested the feature: he tapped his iPhone to a treadmill, selected Indoor Walk, which is offered alongside Indoor Run, and started the workout from the treadmill. Workout data is stored privately on the iPhone and removed from the equipment. The treadmill received heart-rate data from the AirPods Pro 3, while the Fitness app on iPhone received the treadmill's distance, pace, incline and calorie data. Treadmills can supply details the iPhone and AirPods cannot measure on their own, particularly incline and precise belt distance.

For most AirPods users, the report describes Siri AI as the single biggest upgrade in iOS 27. It runs on compatible iPhone hardware in iOS 27, and Apple extended full support for the assistant to AirPods. Apple's website groups the capabilities into three areas: world knowledge, which lets users ask about almost any topic and receive detailed, up-to-date information Siri AI references online; conversational use, for open-ended questions, brainstorming on the go and natural back-and-forth exchanges; and personal context, for locating a photo from years ago, an email buried in an inbox or a note saved on the iPhone. The report says AirPods are effectively becoming an AI wearable through the new assistant.

Precision Finding on Apple Watch also reaches AirPods Pro 3 with iOS 27 and watchOS 27. Apple first brought Precision Finding to the Watch earlier this year when AirTag 2 launched, and it had been limited to that accessory. The AirPods Pro 3 case includes a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which lets the case be located with greater precision and step-by-step guidance shown on the wrist.

Apple has also redesigned and reorganized the AirPods settings screen in the Settings app, arranging options into more categories and submenus with colored icons. The rearrangement follows successive generations of AirPods features being added to the same screen.