When AirPods owners connect to their iPhone running iOS 27, they’ll see a completely redesigned settings menu for their headphones that better organizes all the feature options Apple has added over the past few years.
In the first iOS 27 developer beta, released on Monday, the new settings menu is accessible the same way as the old one – that is, only appearing when your AirPods are paired with your iPhone – but the menu itself is now much easier to navigate.
Apple has added a volume slider below the listening mode buttons, while the Hearing Health, Call Controls/Camera Controls, Live Translation, and Adaptive Audio sections have been condensed into separate menus identified by new icons: Accessibility, Audio & Routing, Hearing Health, and Controls & Gestures. There are also new menus for Battery, Privacy, and Find My options.
The new design makes the AirPods settings menu much more compact and you no longer feel like you have to scroll endlessly trying to find the option you’re looking for. Apple also implemented the system settings overhaul for macOS 27 Golden Gate.
Apple plans to release a public beta of iOS 27 and macOS 27 next month, with a general release of updates expected in the fall.
