Apple asks users why they’re disabling ‘Conversation Awareness’ on AirPods Pro

Apple’s new Conversation Awareness feature in iOS 17 automatically reduces the volume of music and switches to Transparency Mode when the user starts talking to someone. However, some users in the iOS 17 beta have been turning off this feature. Apple is now investigating why users are disabling this feature, which is designed to help people stay aware of their surroundings while listening to music.

AirPods - 01-08-2023 14:05

[O]ver the past few days, Apple has been sending out a feedback survey to users who have opted to turn off Conversation Awareness. In the survey, which can be answered directly from the iPhone, Apple asks users who have installed the AirPods beta firmware to rate their overall experience using the new conversation-detecting feature.

Apple wants to know if there are any critical issues when Conversation Awareness is triggered, or when AirPods return to their previous state (like a delay to detect when someone is talking). Another question aims to find out whether users prefer audio content to be fully paused rather than having the volume reduced when the feature is activated.

I’ve installed the beta firmware on my second-generation AirPods Pro, and personally, while Conversation Awareness is quite useful when I’m walking outside, I always turn it off when at home. That’s because I often sing out loud when listening to songs, and that makes Conversation Awareness trigger all the time.

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