AirPods Custom EQ in iOS 27: How to Use It

For years, your AirPods sounded exactly the way Apple decided they should, with no manual control over the tuning.

That changes with iOS 27, which finally brings a real custom equalizer to the AirPods lineup after Apple long insisted its own sound engineering was enough.

How to use AirPods custom EQ in iOS 27

The AirPods custom EQ in iOS 27 is a 3-band equalizer that you adjust directly from AirPods Settings on your iPhone, with an interactive preview of the audio changes as you tune.

According to CNET, the equalizer lets you adjust three frequency ranges: low, mid, and high.

Here is how the new feature works once iOS 27 ships:

1. Connect your supported AirPods to your iPhone so they appear at the top of the Settings app.
2. Open AirPods Settings, which iOS 27 reorganizes into clearer menus.
3. Find the equalizer and either build a custom EQ profile or pick Apple's recommended EQ settings.
4. Adjust the lows, mids, and highs while the interactive preview plays back the changes.
5. Switch back to Apple's default AirPods sound tuning at any time without losing your custom profile.

Apple says you can "seamlessly switch back and forth to the default AirPods sound tuning" once a custom EQ is set, so experimenting carries no risk.

Which AirPods support custom EQ

Custom EQ is limited to the newest AirPods, not the entire back catalog.

Per CNET, the feature is coming to the AirPods Max 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4 with the public release of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 this fall.

As of now, it appears the setting will only reach AirPods powered by Apple's H2 chip, which leaves out earlier models like the AirPods Pro 2.

It remains unclear whether Beats' Powerbeats Pro 2, which also use the H2 chip, will gain the same custom EQ option.

If you own older AirPods, this is the practical takeaway: the custom equalizer is a reason to consider an upgrade, not a feature you can expect through a simple software update.

What changed in AirPods settings

iOS 27 also rebuilds the AirPods settings screen itself, separate from the equalizer addition.

As reported by 9to5Mac, the previous mess of loosely organized toggles has been condensed into a cleaner set of menus.

The AirPods settings still live at the top of the iPhone's Settings app and still appear only when your AirPods are actively connected.

Each menu now carries an icon so options are easier to identify at a glance, and the main screen is far shorter than it was in iOS 26.

What's easy to miss here is that the redesign matters because the settings list had grown long and hard to parse as Apple piled on new AirPods features over the years.

There is still no dedicated AirPods app, but the reorganized menus make the existing controls much easier to navigate.

How Apple's 3-band EQ compares

A 3-band equalizer is basic by the standards of premium audio, and that limitation is worth understanding before you expect studio-grade control.

Sony's WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones and WF-1000XM6 earbuds offer a 10-band equalizer, far more granular than Apple's three sliders.

JBL goes further still with a detailed equalizer spanning 10 frequency bands adjustable in Hz, while Bose's equalizer toggles bass, mids, and treble on a 20-point scale.

This number matters because three bands give you broad shaping, lows, mids, and highs, rather than precise per-frequency tuning.

Even so, an equalizer is a staple feature for consumer headphones, and the most limited equalizer still beats none at all.

For most listeners, three bands cover the adjustments people actually make, more bass, clearer vocals, or softer treble, without overwhelming choice.

Why this AirPods update matters

Until now, AirPods relied on Apple's Adaptive EQ to optimize sound on the fly, and reviewers had knocked the lack of manual tuning as a real drawback.

Before iOS 27, the only way to alter your AirPods sound was through Apple Music settings, and that was limited to preset EQ profiles rather than true customization.

In practice, what often happens is that owners of expensive headphones want at least the option to tweak the tuning, even if they rarely touch it.

That preference carries extra weight on hardware that costs as much as the AirPods Max 2, where buyers expect a say in how premium audio sounds.

Apple paired the news with another AirPods Pro 3 feature: expanded GymKit support that syncs workouts and heart rate data with compatible cardio equipment.

According to Apple, that GymKit functionality covers treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes, and stair steppers from manufacturers including Johnson, Life Fitness, Precor, Schwinn, Technogym, and Woodway.

The custom EQ will not satisfy audio purists who want 10 bands, but it closes a gap that has followed AirPods for years.

As of this quarter, the honest read is that AirPods are catching up to rivals rather than leapfrogging them, and for most users that is enough.