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Apple starts pushing AirPods owners into Transparency mode, with no easy opt out

69 points by spenvo 2y ago

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
IronWolve 2y ago
I wonder if Apple runs statistics on controls and sees if a setting isn't used as much by the common user, so power users (audiophiles/etc), are hurt by these decisions.
- likeabatterycar 2y ago
  You think an 'off' button is not used by 'common users' and is restricted to audiophiles? This is also solved by using $8 earbuds and not shoving overhyped $200 hazelnuts into your ears.
  - Kirby64 2y ago
    I’d suggest the “off” function on AirPods is used by… almost no one reasonable. I don’t know why an audiophile would use it, honestly. It sounds measurably worse than turning on ANC or Transparency. The only use is if you truly truly need the extra battery life. If ANC bothers your ears, the much cheaper regular AirPods should be your buy… or any number of cheaper non-ANC buds.
    - slau 2y ago
      I tried to remember when the last time was I used “Off”. I use my AirPods for about 4 hours a day, and I’ve never really had battery life issues. This post will make me try it again though.
    - aoanevdus 2y ago
      I used “off” when my AirPods had a broken microphone that caused the other modes to make weird noises. Only necessary until I could get them replaced by Apple.
      - Kirby64 2y ago
        Sure, that’s a valid reason for a broken use case … but it’s still a broken use case. If your mics weren’t broken then the other modes would be better.
        freedomben 2y ago
        Agreed, but quality products are designed to continue operating as best as possible when components fail. You can definitely take that overboard to extreme level, but a basic think through of especially common failure causes (like ear junk buildup) and design around it is what great product designers do.
        aoanevdus 2y ago
        Based on the noises I experienced that time, I think the microphone was detached and hanging by a wire. The sound was rhythmic and depended on my movement, kind of like what would happen if you had a bell hanging on a pendulum inside a cylinder. I don’t think this was caused by debris buildup on the device. To Apple’s credit, whenever I had a defective AirPod, it was easy to get them to replace it. Happened to me multiple times in the first few months of the AirPods Pro release.
    - dwood_dev 2y ago
      I use "off" most of the time when in single ear mode(which is most of the time if I'm on calls or listening to a podcast). Transparency mode gives me weird artifacts and I have never liked it, for me the only two modes I use are "off" and ANC. The new change in iOS 18 was highly annoying for me and took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to get the previous behavior back.
    - solarkraft 2y ago
      I’m so unreasonable using them at home (where there’s no noise to cancel, besides, I often only use a single bud anyway) for prolonged periods.
exabrial 2y ago
I don't understand why people buy Apple devices then expect to maintain control over them. The Literal CEO refers to your purchases as "their platform". The thing you bought... is his. This is just part of the Apple experience these days. Don't get attached to anything.
- maudlins11 2y ago
  fan bois
- hombre_fatal 2y ago
  If changes to UI = loss of control, then you have zero control over anything and the word is meaningless.
  - 1oooqooq 2y ago
    facepalm emoji
chatmasta 2y ago
The title should probably specify AirPods 2 and 4. As an owner of AirPods Pro (1st Generation), I was confused because I've only ever had two options: noise-cancelling or transparency. There has never been an option for “off,” so presumably this was a new feature in later generations, which the author explains is no longer available.
- spenvo 2y ago
  Hey, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I toyed around with how to make it work in 80 characters but there were tradeoffs. The post itself has always specified in its title: "AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4". I would try again with the HN post title (something maybe like "Apple pushes newer AirPods owners into Transparency mode, with no easy opt out") but, alas, the window for me to edit the title has closed.
- NoPicklez 2y ago
  AirPods Pro 2 (Latest gen) have an off mode which is just no processing
- akaike 2y ago
  I have also the first generation and the option off was always available. It turned off NC and transparency mode.
cjoelrun 2y ago
My Airpod Pros literally screech at an unsafe noise level if they're in Transparency or Noise Cancellation. I think some part of them got damaged ruining any kind of processing. I've been able to continue to use the in the Off mode for over a year. Hope this isn't too annoying to opt out of.
- spaceguillotine 2y ago
  sounds like a microphone is broken or clogged up with human skin goo
  - Aaron2222 2y ago
    Yep. Good chance it's clogged up with earwax or something. I have similar issues with mine (a high-pitched whine on when in any of the ANC modes on my current AirPods Pro 2's right AirPod, and a lower-pitched rumbling in my old AirPods Pro 1's as well).
st3fan 2y ago
Nobody is asking the most interesting question: why. Why is the option to use the AirPods in “normal” mode being removed? Is Apple hit with some lawsuit or something?
- spenvo 2y ago
  My theory, from the post: "All of this is likely tied to a relatively new feature called Loud Sound Reduction that only works if AirPods are in an active “Noise Control” mode. So Apple perhaps recently decided that everyone needed this feature enabled, and that’s why they made all these annoying changes to Noise Control? I can only speculate." And yes, as JamesonNetworks suggested, the cynical side of me thinks Apple execs knew that this would negatively impact a subset of users' batteries and were at least OK with that (despite environmental/shortened-product-lifecycle implications)
  - Suppafly 2y ago
    > Apple execs knew that this would negatively impact a subset of users' batteries and were at least OK with that Seems like every 6 months or so they come out with an update almost specifically designed to do that for their phones and other products, so that's not even surprising.
- JamesonNetworks 2y ago
  Off hand guess: reduce apparent battery life in order to nudge people to upgrading, thinking their batteries are going
  - 1oooqooq 2y ago
    that's exactly what the connect implied. as with apple having done that at least twice in the open.
    - tiltowait 2y ago
      Which instances would this be?
blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
[flagged]
hombre_fatal 2y ago
It's basically a UI/UX problem. Apple rolls out features like the loud sound reduction feature that only work if you're in a non-OFF state. Exactly how it should work really depends on the expectations of the average user. If they turn on loud sound reduction, for example, are they just going to be confused when nothing happens? How many people really understand how to toggle between the 3+ states and that additional processing might only apply to a subset of them? And airpod state is already confusing: You have Off | Active cancellation | Transparency | Adaptive. My parents who have used airpods for years didn't even know about the airpods menu that shows you these states. They understood pinch-and-hold to change state but didn't know the third state was the OFF state. It just kinda sounds like a crappier unwanted state. The TFA trade-off might have been the most sensible decision given these complexities. Replace OFF with one of the other states as the default and then give more techy users a switch to add OFF back into the possible states. Granted, TFA points out there's a bug with this impl.
- spenvo 2y ago
  Yeah. There were clearly difficult decisions within Apple about which tradeoffs to make for people, but the big misstep for me was: Not communicating the changes to me. In a way, I was somewhat happy when they removed the Off option because at least it showed me that there were intentional changes occurring. Before they removed it, I thought iOS' switching me incessantly into to Transparency mode (for days on end) was just a really bad bug. It appeared that they had zero respect for users who preferred one of the four Noise Control options they were providing. (I'm not saying that was the case, but that's what it looked like as one of those users) > If they turn on loud sound reduction People are opted into this. No one gets to "turn it on". Apple turns it on. Which is why this has blindsided users. And on its being tied to the feature, from the post: "All of this is likely tied to a relatively new feature called Loud Sound Reduction that only works if AirPods are in an active “Noise Control” mode. So Apple perhaps recently decided that everyone needed this feature enabled, and that’s why they made all these annoying changes to Noise Control?"
  - CrimsonRain 2y ago
    There's no annoying change. It's a good change for most people. Techies can fiddle with options.
nunez 2y ago
I love using my AirPods, but they have become insanely buggy as of late (like, they will crash while playing audio; audio stops, then transparency cuts out and comes back after a reboot) and I often come to dead or dying AirPods when I try to use them. This is not the case for AirPods 1. I still have my original ones. You can leave them in the case for months and both will still have a charge.
- johnfn 2y ago
  I have AirPods 2 and do not have this issue. Maybe you should go bring them to an apple store?
grues-dinner 2y ago
Regardless of why they're doing it, why does everything that involves an organisation always have to be such a tedious charade? It's just so tiring to have to cynically second-guess everything all the time. Are they doing it to nerf battery life and promote return business? Scared of lawsuits? Secret AB testing? Technical debt? The word "Off" causes cancer in the State of California? Just grow a some guts and level with customers for a damn change. So much for "informed rational consumers" being the fundamental factor in the vaunted free market.

69 points by spenvo 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

I wonder if Apple runs statistics on controls and sees if a setting isn't used as much by the common user, so power users (audiophiles/etc), are hurt by these decisions.

likeabatterycar 2y ago
You think an 'off' button is not used by 'common users' and is restricted to audiophiles? This is also solved by using $8 earbuds and not shoving overhyped $200 hazelnuts into your ears.
- Kirby64 2y ago
  I’d suggest the “off” function on AirPods is used by… almost no one reasonable. I don’t know why an audiophile would use it, honestly. It sounds measurably worse than turning on ANC or Transparency. The only use is if you truly truly need the extra battery life. If ANC bothers your ears, the much cheaper regular AirPods should be your buy… or any number of cheaper non-ANC buds.
  - slau 2y ago
    I tried to remember when the last time was I used “Off”. I use my AirPods for about 4 hours a day, and I’ve never really had battery life issues. This post will make me try it again though.
  - aoanevdus 2y ago
    I used “off” when my AirPods had a broken microphone that caused the other modes to make weird noises. Only necessary until I could get them replaced by Apple.
    - Kirby64 2y ago
      Sure, that’s a valid reason for a broken use case … but it’s still a broken use case. If your mics weren’t broken then the other modes would be better.
      - freedomben 2y ago
        Agreed, but quality products are designed to continue operating as best as possible when components fail. You can definitely take that overboard to extreme level, but a basic think through of especially common failure causes (like ear junk buildup) and design around it is what great product designers do.
        aoanevdus 2y ago
        Based on the noises I experienced that time, I think the microphone was detached and hanging by a wire. The sound was rhythmic and depended on my movement, kind of like what would happen if you had a bell hanging on a pendulum inside a cylinder. I don’t think this was caused by debris buildup on the device. To Apple’s credit, whenever I had a defective AirPod, it was easy to get them to replace it. Happened to me multiple times in the first few months of the AirPods Pro release.
  - dwood_dev 2y ago
    I use "off" most of the time when in single ear mode(which is most of the time if I'm on calls or listening to a podcast). Transparency mode gives me weird artifacts and I have never liked it, for me the only two modes I use are "off" and ANC. The new change in iOS 18 was highly annoying for me and took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to get the previous behavior back.
  - solarkraft 2y ago
    I’m so unreasonable using them at home (where there’s no noise to cancel, besides, I often only use a single bud anyway) for prolonged periods.

exabrial 2y ago

I don't understand why people buy Apple devices then expect to maintain control over them. The Literal CEO refers to your purchases as "their platform". The thing you bought... is his. This is just part of the Apple experience these days. Don't get attached to anything.

maudlins11 2y ago
fan bois
hombre_fatal 2y ago
If changes to UI = loss of control, then you have zero control over anything and the word is meaningless.
- 1oooqooq 2y ago
  facepalm emoji

chatmasta 2y ago

The title should probably specify AirPods 2 and 4. As an owner of AirPods Pro (1st Generation), I was confused because I've only ever had two options: noise-cancelling or transparency. There has never been an option for “off,” so presumably this was a new feature in later generations, which the author explains is no longer available.

spenvo 2y ago
Hey, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I toyed around with how to make it work in 80 characters but there were tradeoffs. The post itself has always specified in its title: "AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4". I would try again with the HN post title (something maybe like "Apple pushes newer AirPods owners into Transparency mode, with no easy opt out") but, alas, the window for me to edit the title has closed.
NoPicklez 2y ago
AirPods Pro 2 (Latest gen) have an off mode which is just no processing
akaike 2y ago
I have also the first generation and the option off was always available. It turned off NC and transparency mode.

cjoelrun 2y ago

My Airpod Pros literally screech at an unsafe noise level if they're in Transparency or Noise Cancellation. I think some part of them got damaged ruining any kind of processing. I've been able to continue to use the in the Off mode for over a year. Hope this isn't too annoying to opt out of.

spaceguillotine 2y ago
sounds like a microphone is broken or clogged up with human skin goo
- Aaron2222 2y ago
  Yep. Good chance it's clogged up with earwax or something. I have similar issues with mine (a high-pitched whine on when in any of the ANC modes on my current AirPods Pro 2's right AirPod, and a lower-pitched rumbling in my old AirPods Pro 1's as well).

st3fan 2y ago

Nobody is asking the most interesting question: why. Why is the option to use the AirPods in “normal” mode being removed? Is Apple hit with some lawsuit or something?

spenvo 2y ago
My theory, from the post: "All of this is likely tied to a relatively new feature called Loud Sound Reduction that only works if AirPods are in an active “Noise Control” mode. So Apple perhaps recently decided that everyone needed this feature enabled, and that’s why they made all these annoying changes to Noise Control? I can only speculate." And yes, as JamesonNetworks suggested, the cynical side of me thinks Apple execs knew that this would negatively impact a subset of users' batteries and were at least OK with that (despite environmental/shortened-product-lifecycle implications)
- Suppafly 2y ago
  > Apple execs knew that this would negatively impact a subset of users' batteries and were at least OK with that Seems like every 6 months or so they come out with an update almost specifically designed to do that for their phones and other products, so that's not even surprising.
JamesonNetworks 2y ago
Off hand guess: reduce apparent battery life in order to nudge people to upgrading, thinking their batteries are going
- 1oooqooq 2y ago
  that's exactly what the connect implied. as with apple having done that at least twice in the open.
  - tiltowait 2y ago
    Which instances would this be?

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago

[flagged]

hombre_fatal 2y ago

It's basically a UI/UX problem. Apple rolls out features like the loud sound reduction feature that only work if you're in a non-OFF state. Exactly how it should work really depends on the expectations of the average user. If they turn on loud sound reduction, for example, are they just going to be confused when nothing happens? How many people really understand how to toggle between the 3+ states and that additional processing might only apply to a subset of them? And airpod state is already confusing: You have Off | Active cancellation | Transparency | Adaptive. My parents who have used airpods for years didn't even know about the airpods menu that shows you these states. They understood pinch-and-hold to change state but didn't know the third state was the OFF state. It just kinda sounds like a crappier unwanted state. The TFA trade-off might have been the most sensible decision given these complexities. Replace OFF with one of the other states as the default and then give more techy users a switch to add OFF back into the possible states. Granted, TFA points out there's a bug with this impl.

spenvo 2y ago
Yeah. There were clearly difficult decisions within Apple about which tradeoffs to make for people, but the big misstep for me was: Not communicating the changes to me. In a way, I was somewhat happy when they removed the Off option because at least it showed me that there were intentional changes occurring. Before they removed it, I thought iOS' switching me incessantly into to Transparency mode (for days on end) was just a really bad bug. It appeared that they had zero respect for users who preferred one of the four Noise Control options they were providing. (I'm not saying that was the case, but that's what it looked like as one of those users) > If they turn on loud sound reduction People are opted into this. No one gets to "turn it on". Apple turns it on. Which is why this has blindsided users. And on its being tied to the feature, from the post: "All of this is likely tied to a relatively new feature called Loud Sound Reduction that only works if AirPods are in an active “Noise Control” mode. So Apple perhaps recently decided that everyone needed this feature enabled, and that’s why they made all these annoying changes to Noise Control?"
- CrimsonRain 2y ago
  There's no annoying change. It's a good change for most people. Techies can fiddle with options.

nunez 2y ago

I love using my AirPods, but they have become insanely buggy as of late (like, they will crash while playing audio; audio stops, then transparency cuts out and comes back after a reboot) and I often come to dead or dying AirPods when I try to use them. This is not the case for AirPods 1. I still have my original ones. You can leave them in the case for months and both will still have a charge.

johnfn 2y ago
I have AirPods 2 and do not have this issue. Maybe you should go bring them to an apple store?

grues-dinner 2y ago

Regardless of why they're doing it, why does everything that involves an organisation always have to be such a tedious charade? It's just so tiring to have to cynically second-guess everything all the time. Are they doing it to nerf battery life and promote return business? Scared of lawsuits? Secret AB testing? Technical debt? The word "Off" causes cancer in the State of California? Just grow a some guts and level with customers for a damn change. So much for "informed rational consumers" being the fundamental factor in the vaunted free market.