AirPods Pro 3 Improve Noise Cancellation, Add Workout Tracking and Live Translation

I’ve ordered these - my first ever Airpods. I’d been using a third party brand but the batteries gave out and I thought I’d give Airpods a go. As long as the noise cancelling is OK I’ll be happy.

Bizarre. What led to that? Most likely needed location for use. Looks like the French maitre d’ won’t be able to use it with the visiting US tourist…
.

The live translation will be available to AirPods Pro 2 as well.

I’d consider upgrading for better fit and the ANC but the live translation would have made it an instant purchase. I have the 2s so will ponder more.

I’m in the same boat. My APPro2 works just fine, so if the Live Translation works well on them, I probably won’t upgrade until they stop working. But they’ll definitely be on the “Buy List” when the time comes.

Yes, they said the same thing about hearing health and the hearing aid features last year. I think even Apple Intelligence at first, too. Apple almost always rolls out these features more broadly over time. Perhaps it’s simply a way to reduce support calls for a newly-released feature?

As I understand it, as an American, live translation will still work for me in France. The two conditions for elimination are separated by an ‘and’, meaning both have to apply. So I’ll be able to understand the maître d’ and just nod my head in reply.

Quite possibly caught up in the EU’s ridiculous “gatekeeper” laws for technology.

My guess is that it’s tied up in Apple restricting certain Apple Intelligence features due to the Digital Markets Act. I don’t understand how that all connects, but a lot of it feels like posturing and jockeying for position on both sides.

You’re probably right. Given the sheer scale of AI within the US economy and rate of growth, a slower moving EU can’t hope to respond other than using blocks.

That OTOH involved regulatory approval (medical devices), unlike Live Translation. Europe did just gain those now BTW. Like @ace, I suspect this has more to do with Apple Intelligence vs. DMA.

Yes the Airpods Pro 2 do have an excellent noise cancellation and superb sound, but I am not so sure if I will upgrade to version 3. I had the same problem with version 1 and 2: one of the airpods died after the warranty expired, so I needed to buy a new airpod to keep using them, it happened with the original Airpods Pro and the recent version 2. Took them to Apple and they were dead, did not charge anymore. Not sure if it is a design problem that has not been fixed. But I was expecting a better lifespan from these, in comparison I still have a working set of wireless bluetooth earbuds from Bose that I bough in 2018, battery life is not the same as original, but they work.

Better ANC sounds great, but I wonder if perhaps it’s just due to foam inserts. IIRC there are inexpensive 3rd party tips that folks can use on their previous APP2 for the same effect.

The really great news is that if you see little added value in the new APP3 over the APP2, Amazon will now sell you the APP2 at the discounted price of just $199.

I was disappointed that with the new AirPods Pro and the new iPhones, why do they still not support lossless audio when working together? You can get lossless audio with certain AirPods paired to the Vision Pro, so clearly it is possible.

I’m not buying wireless headphones until lossless audio is supported.

I would be very interested to hear others’ experience with or recommendations for third-party tips.

@ace wrote an article comparing AirPods with the then-new AirPods Pro. I have never liked earbuds, but a confluence of life changes (including pandemic lockdown) were making them seem more-and-more attractive. Ignoring Adam’s complaints about having problems getting the Pros to stay in his ears, I opted for a pair of AirPods Pro.

They were worthless to me out of the box. If I took great care putting them in my ears, and didn’t move around too much or too quickly, I might get 5-10 minutes before one fell out. Wearing them was a nerve-wracking effort to make sure I always had a hand free to catch a cascading bud.

I ended up getting some Symbio replacement ear tips with memory foam:

https://symbiow.com/

They helped a lot, making the AirPods Pro almost useful. Almost. I continued to use them off-and-on for a couple of years – going through three sets of the rather fragile replacement ear tips – before deciding that I’m just not an ear buds guy.

In short, I thought the Symbio memory foam tips were a vast improvement (for my ears) over the stock silicone tips, but my ears never have held earbuds in place and I don’t really tolerate things in my ears so I’m probably not the best source of information.

As I understand the battery in an AirPod is not replaceable, so once those run out you have to throw the whole thing away? Do any of the TidBits readers with real life experience want to share how long their AirPods lasted? I mean, how long can you expect to be able to use them before the battery becomes so bad they become useless and have to be replaced?

According to iFixit, battery replacement is extremely difficult and requires specialized tools, but it is possible:

• AirPods
• AirPods Pro

That having been said, Apple offers a battery replacement service. They charge $50. It is my understanding that this service involves them giving you a new/refurbished set, and keeping the old ones so they may be refurbished at a factory that has the skills to do the work.

He would if they meet outside the EU or the maitre d’ (fun fact: in France nobody actually calls it that) doesn’t have an EU iCloud Apple account.

Apparently it won’t work as of right now if in the EU and for an EU-based iCloud Apple account (source: Apple). Suspicion is that it’s related to AI and privacy (GDRP) regulation that Apple wants to make sure it is compliant with first, per MR.

On the very bright side, Apple won’t make folks buy APP3 just for Live Translation. AP4 and APP2 will gain the ability through imminent software updates.

I bought a pair of APP2 last year, but I don’t use them as much as the Beats Fit Pro earbuds that I bought in May 2022. They are my workout earbuds, plus what I’d use to listen to media when I was not working out until I got the AirPods. They have a similar battery life as AirPods Pro 1. The battery on these are still great; I use them probably on average 1.5 hours per day since the day that I bought them, mostly in transparency mode, sometimes in noise cancelling mode, almost never in “normal” mode.

As an aside, while I have done a few workouts in the AirPods Pro 2 (mostly when I grabbed them by mistake before a workout), they feel less secure in my ears when I am actively moving, so I still prefer the Beats Fit Pro. That said: adaptive mode on AirPods Pro 2 is amazing. It cuts out the loud car sound just enough while increasing the media volume just a bit so I never need to rewind on my podcasts while still being able to hear everything around me for safety. I’m sad to see that Apple is coming out with a replacement for the Beats Fit Pro soon - the Powerbeats Fit - but which still use the old H1 chip rather than the newer H2 which has better noise cancelling along with the adaptive mode. We’ll see if that’s the case when they are announced.

I bought my first pair of the original AP in Nov 2018. And because I’m stupid, I managed to leave them in a Dulles TSA bin in April 2019 never to be found again so in Apr 2019 I purchased a second pair.

I eventually migrated to the original APP that my wife had bought in Oct 2019 (but hated thus replacing them with AP2 and giving me her Pros). By mid 2023 their battery life had already become poor (I used these a ton, it was the days of Covid and lockdown after all) and I was also very eager to get rid of everything Lightning so in Sep 2023 I ordered a pair of USB-C APP2 which I am still using right now.

Just lately I’ve started to feel like they no longer hold quite the same great charge they used to which seems premature to me. I’m not super intrigued by the new APP3 so I’ll probably hold onto these until their battery life feels significantly worse. I’m not sure if right now I’d replace them with APP3 or just get APP2 and pocket the saved $50. I guess that will depend on what reviews say about real-world battery life improvements and actual ANC improvements (beyond just foam in the tips).

I got the AirPods 2 to use as a hearing aid.
I did not dare to use my AirPods outdoors and while eating because they were falling out. I got the TrueGrip MAX from Comply. It is a great improvement. I have even dared to have them on while fishing in the dark to hear if the fish are rising. Since I am wading in moving water, the AirPods I would have been lost if they fall out.

I have not used them while working out because I have used the Shure AONIC since 2023 with my older in-ear Shure 315 for that.

The new version is the True Wireless Secure Fit Adapter Gen 2. You combine that with any Shure in-ear headphone. If you have problems with earphones while working out, this is what I would buy.

This is interesting because my Ultra 2 only works with a very tight fit when my arms move a lot. I switch from my Milanese Loop to the Alpine Loop, tightening it beyond what feels comfortable. Fortunately, the discomfort disappears as soon as I begin working out.

@frans I still have my APP v1s and they get about 2 hours of life currently. I’ve not treated them very well-for a while I lost them and the battery in both the case and the ‘buds died. Then I got the v2s and never bothered to charge the V1s until the last few months. I got the v1s in September 2020.

I got the v2-Lightning APP in April 2024 and passed them along to my sister-in-law over the summer. I was still getting 5-6 hours of life at that point. But I moved to APP v2(.5) w/USB-C then.

Probably should have waited for v3.

What are the various state laws regarding these? Are they treated as headphones or as hearing aids?

Does anyone know if the new tips that come with the Airpods Pro 3 will fit the Airpods Pro 2?

The Apple Store indicates they only fit 3’s, so I won’t be ordering them. Watching this site to see if they come up with a 5 piece offering for 2’s:
https://symbiow.com/shop/

Reviews of the new AirPods Pro 3 started coming out yesterday and at least one of them said no - they do not fit AirPods Pro 2 or 1.

One of the best authorities regarding workout technology is Ray Maker, whose blog is DC Rainmaker (he swims and runs as well as biking). Apparently he had AirPods Pro 3 beta units as early as the Tour de France in July, and because he LIVES in Belgium he is able to understand French. He’s posted an article just after release that describes testing the translation capabilities of listening to French-language broadcasts of the Tour de France as being an absolute mess because the naturally excited pace of the language overwhelmed the interface.
Even worse, while the new heart-rate monitoring, while shared with data acquired from the watch, cannot be broadcast via established BlueTooth protocols to exercise-tracking equipment such as bike computers from Garmin or others. However, he WAS impressed at their improved fit, which enabled him to wear them while swimming, cycling, or running.

It should be noted that Ray also measured the quality of the heart rate monitoring against other devices and found them to be excellent for that purpose.

Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong. Plus, despite urban legends to the contrary, chest straps are rarely perfect either (especially in the cooler fall temps, when there isn’t quite as much sweat, you’ll see issues in the first 5-10 mins).

Maybe in the future Apple will allow them to be used with other devices, but I guess for now (and likely for good) the intention is to improve Apple’s own workout tracking on iOS 26 and the iPhone.

Link to the DCRainmaker review: Apple AirPods Pro 3 with Heart Rate: Sports & Fitness Review

Thanks for including the link to Ray’s article. I probably should have mentioned that Ray spent considerable time discussing that issue, noting that a very large percentage of professional and recreational athletes use iPhones, a smaller percentage AirPods, and that the reason for the latter was their inability to stay secure in the ears. Most of those people record data that ISN’T tracked by the iOS Help app, so one "magnet of the AirPods Pro 3 would have been if it could have freed the athletes from chest or wrist straps to monitor and map their heart rates during and afterwards studying their workouts.

Actually, I have one other question. In the gym this morning, I did 15 virtual miles on the TechnoGym bike while watching YouTube video makers absolutely GUSH over the AirPods Pro 3. Because I’m 78 and “aurally challenged,” and because the length of time these will not only stay “live” in your years but also just STAY in your years, I’m likely to be an early adopter. I have to take my hearing aids out to put in my AirPods, so I’m wondering if anyone here has experience how well they work as actual hearing aids (which I’m sure requires them to be in Transparency Mode).

The Fed signed-off on them to be sold as hearing aids in conjunction w/ the iPhone software.

Thanks, Will!

I’ve been using them as hearing aids in situations where I need them. In some situations they work very well, but… I’ll try to write up more when I have time later today.

But probably should post it here:

Further to my previous post; I also use my Airpods Pro 2 to listen to shows on my Apple TV. While this does clarify speech to some extent over the TV speakers, it is still not possible to apply speech boost on bluetooth transmissions in any Airpods Pro 2 mode. Both of these issues look like being a bridge too far for Apple, despite being the two main applications sought by those of us with hearing problems.

My first ever pair of Airpods arrived a couple of days ago. I’d previously used a pair of wireless MPow noise cancelling buds ($75), or some wired Apple ones. The Airpods ($429 AUD) really are quite good, way better than the wired Apple one (which have no noise cancelling), and definitely better sound than the MPows.

Based on price, are they 6x better than the MPows? No, but they are great quality and the noise cancellation is quite amazing. I’m still getting used to the controls but I’m sure it won’t take long. They seem quite comfortable but I’m yet to try anything overly active (although I did a short jog yesterday without issue).

I bought a pair on Friday ahead of a noisy 6 hour train trip. I took my Pro 2 with me and did some rudimentary A-B testing. The fit and anc result in total noise cancellation that is a noticeable improvement. Works for me.

My top AirPods Pro 2/3 features:

• the easy experience of never having to turn them on/off or sync to devices
• ability to adapt to your audiogram hearing test
• noise cancellation

If I lost or damaged these, I would buy another pair in a heartbeat. I can’t say that about many products!

So if on a scale of one to 10 the Pro 3 noise cancellation was 10, how would you rate the Pro 2 noise cancellation?

These were my thoughts on the new Airpods Pro 3 as of last Friday…

They fit way better. Far more secure in my ears. Walked the dog on Friday night and didn’t have to adjust them once. I usually have to wiggle them or push them back in my ears 3-6 times during an evening walk. They are much more comfortable, too.

I decided to test the new live translation feature. I went to a Spanish TV station and tuned into a Mexican soap opera. It’s a little confusing as the translation is the same voice regardless of who is speaking, and it comes a few seconds later, so it’s hard to tell from the translation which character said what (and the screen might be showing a different character speaking than what you’re hearing).

There are definitely errors and occasionally it said bizarre stuff that had to be wrong, but I got the gist of what was going on. Far more than I would have just hearing the Spanish and reading the Spanish captions on TV (I know zero Spanish, but speak French and there are some similarities). I think if you knew some of the language and were talking to a real person who could slow down and speak more clearly, etc., the translation would work amazingly well. In a movie or TV show there are explosions and other sounds that confuse the translation slightly.

At least with Spanish it often gets the pronoun wrong (saying “he” instead of “she”); it could be pronouns aren’t that clear in Spanish, so maybe that works better in other languages.

To test it further, I switched to an English movie channel and turned on the Spanish soundtrack. That was really wild. I had the English captions on the screen. The Airpods automatically turn down the volume of the foreign language, so I couldn’t hear it very well, but I could read the English text on the screen. In my ears I heard Siri reading me the translation. This was a great way to see the accuracy of the translation. The only trouble was that the text was a few seconds ahead of the voice in my ears, but it was close enough I could still compare much of it. It was surprisingly accurate. At least one time the voice was more correct than the closed captioning, which clearly had a wrong word (the screen said “ride” whereas the translation said “reside”, which made far more sense in the context of the scene since it was talking about a person living in an apartment).

For a 1.0 product, this is pretty amazing! I’d give it a rating of around 80 out of 100. I’m sure it would do better in a real life situation rather than translating a movie or TV show, but the fact that it can even do 80% of that is impressive. I’m sure Apple can and will improve this – getting more accurate and adding voices to imitate various characters (it’d be really helpful if the men had a man’s voice translating and the women a woman’s voice). The speed could improve, too. It’ll just get better and better.

It’ll be interesting to try this in real life the next time I visit Europe; I bet it will be really helpful. It could translate loudspeaker announcements at airports and train stations, a conversation with your taxi driver, an interaction with a clerk at a store, and so on. Since the camera can translate signage, you could really have a great system and get by without knowing the local language!

I am way impressed.

Ha ha! I’m laughing because that reminds me of a funny practice on TV in Poland. A lot of movies that are dubbed into Polish have a single person doing all the dialogue. One of the funniest ones I saw was a James Bond movie, with a male voice speaking for both Bond and the Bond Girl (imagine a deep, gravely male voice: “Domino, I must tell you something.” “Oh, James!!!).

Good question.

If Pros 3 are 10/10, Pros 2 are now about 7/10.

If you’d have asked me last month I’d have said Pros 2 were a 9/10 product, docked one point for fit and anc.

In my mind I already hear complaints about it picking the wrong gender.

Has anyone tried the new AirPods Pro 3 as hearing aids? Any improvement over the Pro 2 for that?
Thanks.

Nothing? OK, I’m tired of the lingering Jonny Ive form over function that won’t even stay in your ears. I’m back to looking for hearing aids that actually work (don’t honestly believe in them right now, but…)

Tim Cook clearly had $12 million he doesn’t know what to do with. so Apple won’t miss my not updating my AirPods Pro 2 or iPad Pro 12.9 (rev.1).

Does anyone here have more experience trying to use Live Translation? I saw Marc Z ‘s comments back in September. 26.1 added some more languages, so it now covers Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. I have also read that 26.2 will turn it on for EU users. I don’t have any AirPods myself yet, but am especially interested in this feature.