AirPods Pro Conversation Boost Is Now in Beta

Apple on Thursday released a beta version of its "Conversation Boost" feature for AirPods Pro, with a public release planned for later this year.

Conversation Boost for AirPods Pro was given a brief mention back in June during Apple's WWDC 2021, but now you can test it out for yourself for the full effect. This new feature is meant to make conversations easier for people with mild hearing impairments to follow.

Conversation Boost utilizes the beaming microphones used in AirPods Pro along with computational audio to focus on and enhance the person speaking in front of you. Ambient Noise Reduction also is used to drown out potentially distracting background sounds that could make understanding the conversation more challenging.

New software for AirPods Pro will let you turn Conversation Boost on or off as you see fit, as well as adjust the amount of ambient noise reduction you want. You can also adjust the balance more to the left or right, depending on your needs at any given time.

If you're interested in testing out either Conversation Boost or AirPods Pro beta software, and you have an Apple Developer account, you can do so through the Apple Developer website. It's important to note that the software is still in beta, so there might be some bugs or other issues that have yet to be worked out.

If you'd rather not risk installing software that's still in beta, or if you don't have an Apple Developer account, Conversation Boost should see a public release this fall.