iOS 27 brings reported changes to how AirPods users adjust listening: Adaptive Audio can lean more toward noise cancellation or transparency, and Custom EQ adjusts low, mid, and high frequencies. A separate GymKit workout flow links AirPods Pro 3 heart-rate data with an iPhone and compatible cardio equipment.
Adaptive Audio and Custom EQ change listening
Adaptive Audio lets you steer the balance between blocking more noise and hearing more of your surroundings. ZDNET’s Jada Jones describes using more transparency in a crowded grocery store and more noise reduction in a quieter one. The adjustment changes the listening balance to suit the setting.
Custom EQ gives you controls for low, mid, and high frequencies. 9to5Mac reports this path in Settings: AirPods name > Audio & Routing > Equalizer > Custom. ZDNET describes an animated display of the adjustments. The setting is reported to apply to audio generally, rather than to one particular app.
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How an AirPods Pro 3 GymKit workout starts
Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 specifications list a workout heart-rate sensor. The GymKit feature, announced by Apple in a statement quoted by 9to5Mac, lets AirPods Pro 3 heart-rate data sync through iPhone. In the reported setup, you tap the iPhone to the NFC tag on compatible cardio equipment, labeled “Pair with Apple Watch,” to begin without wearing an Apple Watch.
| Participant | Reported role and data |
| AirPods Pro 3 | Supplies heart-rate data. |
| Compatible cardio equipment | Starts the workout and supplies its own readings, including distance, pace, incline, and calories. |
| iPhone | Connects to the equipment through its NFC tag and stores the workout data. |
ZDNET lists workout time, distance, active calories, elevation gain, average pace, and mile splits among the recorded details. 9to5Mac reports that the workout data is stored on the iPhone and removed from the equipment. ZDNET also says this setup does not close Apple Watch Activity rings.
AirPods Pro 3 is the model used in this reported GymKit flow. For broader model context, NeoTeo’s AirPods 5 versus AirPods Pro 3 comparison looks at the differences between those product lines.
Workout Buddy is the earlier iOS 26 feature
ZDNET places Workout Buddy with AirPods Pro 3 in iOS 26. It logs compatible workouts in Fitness and tracks heart rate, steps, and calories without Apple Watch. The GymKit expansion described for iOS 27 is a separate way to connect a workout with compatible cardio equipment.
