AirPods Pro, the latest truly wireless earbuds from Apple, are selling like hotcakes. It not only brings the long-awaited noise cancellation feature but also has a new “Transparency” mode which allows users to listen to their environment. This new mode is quite helpful in situations where you need to be aware of your surroundings. Both these modes make AirPods Pro a better product than AirPods 2. That said while switching between the two modes is fairly easy on an iPhone (you either long press on the “Force Sensor” on AirPods Pro’s stem or go to Control Center -> Force Touch on volume -> choose the desired mode), it’s not so straight forward on the Mac. So, in this article, we are going to show you how you can easily switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode on AirPods Pro on Mac.
While the long pressing on the Force Sensor of AirPods Pro will work while you are using the earbuds on Mac, this method doesn’t give any visual feedback . If you want to be sure that you have turned on the right setting, visual feedback is always important. Also, while the Force Sensor allows you to switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode, it doesn’t allow you to switch them off. In situations when none of these modes are important (like working on your Mac at your home), turning them off is a good option as it results in better battery life. So, with that out of the way, let’s see how you can do the needful, shall we?
To switch between the noise cancellation and transparency mode on Mac using the native method you just need to click on the “Volume Control” app on the Menu Bar and then choose AirPods Pro. You will then be provided with three options; Off, Noise Cancellation, and Transparency. Choose the one you want to use.
NoiseBuddy is an app developed by Guilherme Rambo, who is known for creating such awesome utilities. Many of you might remember him from his previous app AirBuddy ($5) which is an app that brings iOS-like AirPods connectivity splash screen to the Mac. Now, he has build AirBuddy, which allows you to switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode on AirPods Pro with one-click from your Menu Bar or Touch Bar. What’s even better is that this time the app is free to download and use. Here, are the steps you need to use this app.
- First, click on the link to download the app.
Note: As you can see, the “Enable button in Touch Bar” is missing on our screenshot. That’s because we tested the app on a non-Touch Bar Mac.
