The basic steps to enable noise cancelling

Noise cancelling on AirPods works through a control centre on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac — you don't turn it on inside the AirPods themselves. Open Control Centre on your device, find the audio card (the one showing your AirPods connected), press and hold it, then tap the noise cancelling icon at the bottom. The icon looks like three horizontal lines with a curved line through them. Tap it once to turn noise cancelling on, and it will turn solid white.

If you have AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, you'll see three noise modes to choose from: Active Noise Cancellation (blocks outside sound), Transparency (lets outside sound in), and Adaptive Audio (switches between them automatically). If you have standard AirPods or AirPods 3rd generation, you only have the option to turn noise cancelling on or off — there are no multiple modes.

The quickest way after the first time is to swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen (or swipe up from the bottom on older iPhones), find the audio card, and tap the noise cancelling icon. It takes about three seconds once you know where to look.

Key Takeaways

  • Noise cancelling turns on through Control Centre on your phone or tablet, not through a button on the AirPods themselves.
  • AirPods Pro and AirPods Max let you switch between Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio modes.
  • Standard AirPods and AirPods 3rd generation only have noise cancelling on or off — no mode switching.
  • Once turned on, noise cancelling stays on until you manually switch it off, even if you disconnect and reconnect your AirPods.

Where to find the audio card in Control Centre

Control Centre is the panel that slides down from the top-right corner of your iPhone (iPhone X and newer) or slides up from the bottom (iPhone 8 and earlier). When you open it, you'll see several cards — one for brightness, one for volume, one for Bluetooth. The audio card shows your AirPods' name and battery percentage.

If you don't see an audio card, your AirPods aren't currently connected to your device. Connect them first by going to Settings, then Bluetooth, and tapping your AirPods in the list. Once they're connected, the audio card will appear in Control Centre the next time you open it.

On a Mac, Control Centre is in the top-right corner of the menu bar. Click it, find the audio section, and you'll see the same noise cancelling options. On an iPad, Control Centre works the same way as an iPhone — swipe down from the top-right corner.

The difference between the three noise modes on AirPods Pro

Active Noise Cancellation uses microphones on your AirPods to listen to outside sound, then plays the opposite sound wave through the speaker to cancel it out. This works best for steady, low sounds like airplane engines, traffic, or air conditioning. It reduces higher-pitched sounds less effectively. When this mode is on, you won't hear most background noise, but you also won't hear someone calling your name across a room.

Transparency mode does the opposite — it amplifies outside sound so you can hear conversations, announcements, and traffic while your AirPods are in. This is useful when you're in a store, crossing a street, or expecting someone to talk to you. The microphones pick up sound and play it through the speakers at a higher volume than normal hearing.

Adaptive Audio automatically switches between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency based on your movement and environment. If you're walking, it switches to Transparency so you can hear traffic. If you sit down, it switches back to Active Noise Cancellation. You don't have to manually change modes — it happens in the background.

Turning noise cancelling on and off with a long press

Once you've set up noise cancelling in Control Centre, you can also toggle it by long-pressing one of your AirPods. This only works if you've customized your AirPods settings first. Go to Settings, then Bluetooth, tap the info icon next to your AirPods, and scroll down to find "Press and Hold AirPod". Set this to "Noise Control" instead of the default (which is usually Siri).

After you've made this change, hold down one AirPod for about two seconds and it will cycle through your noise modes. Hold it again and it moves to the next mode. This is faster than opening Control Centre if you're already wearing your AirPods, but it only works on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max — standard AirPods don't have this feature.

Why noise cancelling might not be working

If you tap the noise cancelling icon and nothing seems to happen, first check that your AirPods are actually in your ears and seated properly. Noise cancelling needs a good seal in your ear canal to work — if they're loose, it won't block sound effectively. Take them out, clean the mesh on the speaker end with a dry cloth, and put them back in, pushing gently until they feel snug.

If the icon is greyed out or missing entirely, your AirPods may not support noise cancelling. Only AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2nd generation, AirPods Max, and AirPods 3rd generation have this feature. Standard AirPods (1st and 2nd generation) do not. Check your AirPods model in Settings by going to Bluetooth, tapping the info icon next to your AirPods, and looking at the model name.

If your AirPods are the right model but noise cancelling still isn't working, restart your AirPods by going to Settings, Bluetooth, tapping the info icon, and selecting "Forget This Device". Then reconnect them by opening the case near your iPhone and following the pairing steps. This resets the connection and often fixes software glitches.

Battery drain and noise cancelling

Noise cancelling uses more battery than regular listening because the microphones and processors are constantly running. AirPods Pro with noise cancelling on will last about 4 to 6 hours on a single charge, compared to 6 to 8 hours with noise cancelling off. AirPods Max last about 20 hours with noise cancelling on.

If you're running low on battery and want your AirPods to last longer, turn noise cancelling off by tapping the icon in Control Centre again. Transparency mode uses less battery than Active Noise Cancellation but more than having both off, so if battery life is your priority, disable both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to turn on noise cancelling every time I put my AirPods in?

No. Once you turn noise cancelling on, it stays on the next time you use your AirPods, even if you take them out and put them back in later. You only need to turn it off if you want to disable it. If you switch devices — say from your iPhone to your Mac — you may need to turn it on again in that device's Control Centre.

Can I use noise cancelling with only one AirPod in?

Yes, but it works better with both in. Noise cancelling uses microphones on both AirPods to monitor and cancel sound, so using just one reduces its effectiveness. You can still turn it on and use one AirPod, but you'll notice it blocks less background noise than when both are in.

What's the difference between noise cancelling and just turning down the volume?

Noise cancelling actively removes background sound by playing opposite sound waves, while lowering volume just makes everything quieter — including the background noise. With noise cancelling on, you can listen to music at a lower volume and still hear it clearly because the background noise is gone. Without noise cancelling, you'd have to turn the volume up higher to hear over the background sound.

Will noise cancelling work on a phone call?

Noise cancelling works during calls, but your AirPods prioritize letting the other person hear you clearly. The microphones focus on picking up your voice and filtering out background noise on your end, so the person you're talking to hears you better. You'll still benefit from noise cancelling on your end — you'll hear them more clearly — but it's not as aggressive as when you're just listening to music.