iOS 17 was released today (September 18) and iPhone users are in for a treat as iOS 17 introduces a set of new audio features to the new and old AirPods Pro 2 models.

New features include Adaptive Audio, Conversational Awareness, and Personalized Volume, which provide a more powerful listening experience that learns your listening habits and adapts to your environment and audio needs.

Apple officially announced the new adaptive audio features at WWDC 2023 in June. This rollout applies not only to existing AirPods Pro 2nd generation (2022 version) earphones, but also to the new Apple AirPods Pro 2nd generation USB-C (2023 version), which will be available on September 22. With the change to USB-C charging ports, the new AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds have been upgraded to IP54 rating, and the buds and charging case are now more protected against dust and dirt intrusion.

The AirPods Pro 2 USB-C is available for pre-order today at Apple's online store, priced at $249 / £229 / $399 Australian. It replaces the $249 / £249 / $399 AUD Lightning connector version that was released this time last year. The new AirPods Pro 2 USB-C version will officially launch on September 22.

As the best noise-canceling earphones, the AirPods Pro 2 already have great ANC technology and a powerful Transparency mode that helps you stay connected to the world around you. But this is nothing new, and it's fair to say that Apple's machine learning is lagging behind top-class adaptive earphone designs.

Models like Sony's WF-1000XM5 and Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds 2 have long supported adaptive and sophisticated recognition modes, and Apple has lagged behind in terms of AI technology. iOS 17's new suite of audio features will rectified, adapting to the wearer's surroundings, activities, and behavior to provide a new listening experience for AirPods Pro 2 users.

I was fortunate to be able to test the new AirPods Pro 2 USB-C version prior to launch using the iOS 17 public beta installed on my iPhone 12 Pro. Once the final software iOS 17 version is officially released later today, I will update this article with any additional findings.

Adaptive Audio: According to Apple, this new listening mode dynamically blends a transparent mode with active noise cancellation and adjusts noise control based on the user's environmental noise. In my initial tests, I found that it helped me block out background noise and adapt to different environments as I moved from my home along a busy boulevard to the more subdued environment of a gym.

The adaptive technology made for a seamless experience, allowing me to confidently be aware of the traffic noises and sirens blaring around me on the approach to the nearby A&E hospital as I walked down the sidewalk alongside the busy main road. Once I reached my destination, my AirPods Pro 2 switched on without me noticing, blocking out the constant chatter and noise from the busy acoustics of the gym's café.

Conversation Recognition: Similarly, at the coffee shop, Adaptive Audio muted the buzz of coffee drinkers, and the moment I tried to order coffee from the barista, the fully transparent mode was activated. Apple's version seems to work much the same way as Sony's Speak-to-Chat. This is a big plus, given that the technology is easily activated when wearing Sony's WF-1000XM5 earphones.

Personalized Volume: According to Apple, personalized volume automatically tweaks the listening experience based on user preferences. So far, we have not noticed any volume adjustment based on environmental conditions or selected volume, but that is the point, and we may need to test this feature in a wider variety of environments over the next few weeks.

Sound Quality: I have always been impressed with the listening experience of Apple's AirPods Pro 2, and it looks like it will be even better with the iOS 17 audio update. While Apple did not officially tell us about any changes regarding sound quality, we did learn that several enhancements have been made to make the new AirPods Pro 2 USB-C compatible with Apple's new lossless audio protocol for Pro Vision. Whatever adjustments Apple made to the internal architecture, rest assured that sound quality has not been sacrificed in any way. In fact, we believe the sound quality has been further improved.

It is premature to comment further until I have done some lengthy listening tests with the final iOS 17 software fully deployed. However, initial listening to some of my favorite songs suggests that the new AirPods Pro 2 sound slightly improved and may have an even greater level of detail.