Hey everyone!
I've been toying with the idea of using AirPods in Transparency mode to help with navigation, especially while walking in busy areas. The thought is to keep the ambient sounds accessible (for safety and awareness) while getting spoken directions straight to my ears. It seems like a neat way to blend in with the environment without missing out on crucial audio cues.
Has anyone here tried this out? I'm curious about how effective it is in practice and if there are any tips or tricks to make the most out of it. Do you find it helps with spatial orientation and mobility, or is it more of a distraction? Any feedback or personal experiences would be super appreciated!
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and insights!
Best,
Lottie
Comments
I think bone conduction headphones are safer
Hi. My issue with transparency mode is you’re getting your environment through microphones. Not everything is as clear as I would like. The exact location of objects around you are not as obvious as I need. I find using a pair of bone conduction, headphones to hear navigation information is a much safer solution.
Makes it hard to judge distances..
Not only do I still feel like sounds are being a little bit muffled, but transparency mode also makes things sound just a bit off. Figuring out how far away something actually is when using transparency mode is tricky. I find it quite difficult to judge traffic with it, so I've taken to wearing only one AirPod when traveling, which definitely helps. I also switch which ear I'm wearing the AirPod in, so that I'm always wearing it on the side away from my parallel street, and this also helps me make sure I really hear that serge.
Honestly, though, the only way I knew I'd feel safe was to not use AirPods when navigating, which is why I recently picked up a pair of bone conduction headphones, which I unfortunately only sort of like. I went for ones from a brand called Youth Whisper, but I feel like the band in back is way too large for me. I do have a smaller head, so this is probably why. Unfortunately, they only come in one size, unlike the ones from Shokz. I wasn't (and am still not) in a stable enough financial position to be able to afford anything from Shokz, however, so I had to compromise. They actually do stay in place fairly well because they kind of hook over my ears, but I definitely feel that the fit could be better.
Anyhow, I haven't really tried them out yet while navigating; I really should do that one of these days. Lol maybe I'll post a review of them here on AppleVis when I've done so.
Thanks,
Shersey
Prefer Hearing Aids
My hearing loss isn't catastrophic—yet—but having started to wear hearing aids, predominantly outdoors, I now feel a bit unsafe without any hearing augmentation at all. And I really don't like bone-conducting cans—they make my ears itch. So yes, I would use AirPods Pro 2, with headphone accommodations for transparency enabled with amplification, if that was all that I had. Again, they're not a pinch on the clarity and comfort of actual aids, but it's really rather hard to argue with AirPods especially if you are with others or walking a route with safe pedestrian crossings or where you've learned the direction of traffic, on a temporary basis. The transparency changes the way it sounds, but nothing like as much as the aids do. So I guess it depends on your confidence level, but my suggestion is that you only attempt this on routes you know well and where the ambient level of traffic is usually low enough that you'd ordinarily be able to hear it.
Ear Protection?
How much protection can they give, with power tool/machinery noise, for example?
I do
I walk with the AirPods Pro all the time. It’s never felt problematic to me.
Perhaps I am making a mistake though, I don’t know.
If I were to go a different direction though, the Bose ones that David Goodwin has just reviewed sound intriguing. It’s been a few years since I tried bone conduction headphones, but I didn’t like them at the time; too much sound leakage.
Thanks, Oliver
That makes sense. I didn't know how much sound the AirPods actually block just by sticking them in your ears. The ear muffs I use block sound about like clamping your hands tight over your ears, probably give some physical protection to the sides of my head too. It would be nice to have wireless sound from my phone in there, though.
Latency and Versatility
They do have hearing protection muffs with bluetooth, but they probably have latency/VO issues, plus I'd want to use them in place of my wired earpods in other situations if I'm going to fork over a bunch of cabbage.
Sorry, to the OP, this is the opposite of transparency mode. LOL
Yeah: I think I'm crazy...
Look, I'll speak for myself: maybe it's crazy, but I use my Airpods Pro 2 even on busy avenues and I haven't even suffered a scratch yet. In fact, the AirPods Pro have an incredible transparency mode, which makes it seem like we're not wearing anything in our ears, which sounds very reliable to me. Of course, I'm not advising anyone to do so, for God's sake! Only if you're as crazy as me, if not more so. The only caveat I want to make is the following: Starting with Airpods Pro 2 in conjunction with iOS 17, we gained an adaptive transparency mode. What this mode does is combine active noise cancellation with transparency mode according to the environment: for example, if the environment is quieter, the headphones let more sound through, if it is noisier, it cuts out more sound. . That said, no, not at all, definitely don't use this mode on the street! Even cars passing close to you will be attenuated, which can literally scare you to death! Well, here are my experiences, thanks for reading them... Until next time!