At the WWDC 2024, held in Apple Park, Cupertino, Apple demoed one of the most impressive updates that AirPods Pro has received in a while: Siri Interactions.
This upcoming iOS 18 will allow for more seamless integration between AirPods Pro and Siri to let users control calls with head gestures. If you find yourself in a situation where talking to Siri isn’t inconvenient (the keynote showed a crowded lift, for example), you can nod your head yes to accept the call or shake it no to decline it.
Randomly nodding or shaking your head in public might look odd, but it is probably less annoying than talking to a voice assistant out loud during a meeting or lecture. Apple says Siri Interactions are made possible by machine learning algorithms on the H2 chip on the AirPods Pro.
Voice Isolation is another feature the AirPods Pro are getting. Still, this one’s slightly less exciting because it’s already available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. iOS 15 brought it to FaceTime audio and video calls, and iOS 16.4 extended the feature to phone calls.
I regularly cycle between the Standard and Voice Isolation mic modes on my iPhone for Facetime calls, and it’s an absolute game changer. I can imagine it being equally as efficient on the AirPods Pro. The aim is to block wind and other ambient noise and, quite literally, isolate your voice so that it reaches your caller crisp and clear.
Apple also noted that personalised spatial audio with dynamic head tracking will be available for gaming across AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max — delivering the immersive audio customers have come to love when listening to music, or watching movies and shows.
And that was about it for the AirPod update, some small modifications but nothing crazy. Read more about the WWDC updates here.
Image: Apple